Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: Memories of Nobody
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: The second Breakaway movie. When evil spirits begin showing up in Misora, and a girl named Senna has arrived from the spirit world, Nick and Yuki must protect her from the evil spirits and an enemy that is all too familiar to them...
1. Act 1: Rosary of Mystery

(Prologue, written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

**8:30 AM, Asuka Household**

"NICK-KUN!!!!"

This was the shout that rang through the Asuka household, over and over again. Sixteen-year-old Yuki Shinoya was scrambling through her adoptive home for her older brother, seventeen-year-old Nick Kelly. Yuki had just woken up to find her brother had gone off somewhere.

"Nick-kun, this isn't funny!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!"

In the closet, under the bed, every place that Yuki searched turned up nothing.

"HELLO?! NICK-KUN?!!"

"Yuki-chan, could you turn it down, please?"

Surprised by this, Yuki turned around and noticed a very sleepy Nick standing in the doorway of their room, rubbing his eyes. Yuki instantly blushed, thinking she'd woken up her brother.

"Oh... sorry if I woke you up, Nick-kun..."

"Nah, I was already up anyway," Nick answered, flashing his famous smile. "Momoko wanted my help making that gigantic batch of popcorn she always makes on Asuka Family Movie Night."

"How does Momo-chan get the time and money for TWO GALLONS of popcorn every week?!" Yuki wondered.

"You know the Asuka family. They're all big movie nuts," Nick responded. "I was gonna come back up here and catch a few Zs before we head out to the carnival today."

"You go ahead, Nick-kun," Yuki giggled. "I was gonna head out and see Saiki-kun for a bit anyway."

With that, Nick slipped under the covers again.

Yuki leaned forward and pecked Nick on the cheek. "I love you, Nick-kun."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

And with that, Nick was fast asleep, leaving Yuki to step out the door.

Neither of the siblings knew what was about to unfold...

(NOTE: All right, here's the second movie's opening! Like I said last time, you HAVE to have this for a movie. Song is "Sen no Yoru o Koete" by Aqua Timez!)

(Footage: As the opening begins, Nick and Yuki can be seen laying down beside each other in a grassy field, both of them staring up at the rising sun.)

_Anata ga boku wo aishite iru ka aishite inai ka_

_Nante koto wa mou docchi demo iin da_

_(Do you love me? Do you not love me?_

_As for things like that, it's fine either way)_

(Footage: Senna, dressed in a school uniform, happily dashes down the path towards the Asuka household, only to stop short when she notices Momoko peeking out the front door.)

_Donna ni negai nozomou ga_

_Kono sekai ni wa kaerarenu mono ga takusan aru darou_

_(No matter how much I wish_

_There are many unchangeable things in this world, right?)_

(Footage: Momoko looks around, quite sure that she saw something. Shrugging it off, she heads back inside. Right by the window, Senna can be seen hiding.)

_Sou soshite boku ga anata wo aishiteru to iu jijitsu dake wa_

_Dare ni mo kaerarenu shinjitsu dakara_

_(That's right, and simply the reality which says that I love you_

_Is the truth because it can't be changed by anybody.)_

(Footage: An explosion knocks Senna to her knees. She looks up to see a shadowed figure approaching her. Backing up against the wall, Senna reaches for something in her pocket, only for the shadowed figure to double forward in pain. Senna looks forward and sees Nick and Yuki standing there, Hanyou Hikari and Shutsuga Tobiume firmly grasped in their owner's hands.)

_Sen no yoru wo koete anata ni tsutaetai_

_(I want to overcome the thousands of nights and tell you)_

(Footage: Nick nods to Yuki, and the two siblings charge forward, weapons at the ready.)

_Tsutaenakya naranai koto ga aru_

_(There's something that I must tell you)_

(Footage: The shadowed figure curses and readies himself for Nick and Yuki's attack. Senna smiles brightly.)

_Aisaretai demo aisou to shinai_

_Sono kurikaeshi no naka wo samayotte_

_(I want to be loved, but you don't seem to love me_

_I'm wandering aimlessly within this repetition)_

(Footage: Nick lashes out with Hanyou Hikari, and though the strike is blocked, this gives Yuki ample time to leap over Nick and strike with Shutsuga Tobiume, forcing the shadowed figure back.)

_Boku ga mitsuketa kotae wa hitotsu kowakutatte kizutsuitatte_

_(And the answer I found is only one; that even if I'm scared or hurt)_

(Footage: Nick hops back onto his feet and performs an uppercut that knocks the shadowed figure back against the wall. Senna takes this opportunity to whip out her staff and transform it into Mirokumaru, aiming her attack right for the shadowed figure.)

_Suki na hito ni wa suki tte tsutaerunda_

_(I'll say "I love you" to the person I love)_

(Footage: Energy begins to concentrate around the tip of Mirokumaru as Senna grins widely.)

_Kimochi wo kotoba ni suru no wa kowai yo demo_

_(Putting these feelings into words is such a scary thing)_

(Footage: Senna slams Mirokumaru into the ground, creating an energy ripple that vaporizes the shadowed figure. Once all is clear, she turns back to Nick and Yuki.)

_Suki na hito ni wa suki tte tsutaerunda_

_(But I'll say "I love you" to the person I love)_

(Footage: Nick just smiles, while Yuki giggles. The sequence ends with a still shot of Senna smiling brightly.)

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(Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.)

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger** and **YukiShinoya444** present:

Takeshi Kusao as Nick Kelly

Saeko Chiba as Yuki Shinoya

Sakura Tange as Akemi Suzuki

Aya Hirano as Moriko Takahashi

Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi Sayoko

Nami Miyahara as Momoko Asuka

and Chiwa Saito as Senna in...

_Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: Memories of Nobody_

Story Created: February 2nd, 2009

Story Finished: March 9th, 2009

Summary: When evil spirits begin showing up in Misora, Nick and Yuki must investigate. After some detective work, the two learn that the evil spirits are searching for something called the "Memory Rosary". When it turns out that a girl named Senna has arrived from the spirit world, Nick and Yuki must protect her from the evil spirits, the Delegates of Darkness, and an enemy that is all too familiar to them...

Disclaimer: Neither Yuki-chan nor I own ANYTHING of Ojamajo Doremi, though we really wish we did. The series and all of its affiliations belong to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their particular country. Let's rock!

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Act 1: Rosary of Mystery

In the meeting place of the Neo Delegates of Darkness, the members can be seen sitting around the same table we've seen before.

"We need a new plan," the first member stated. "These constant defeats are really getting out of hand."

"Well, we wouldn't have been defeated so many times if SOMEONE had been doing their job!!" the second member taunted.

"You'd better hold your tongue before I rip it right out of your smart mouth!!" the first member shot back.

"Easy, you two," a third member stated. "You know the boss doesn't tolerate infighting..."

"Just let them be," a fourth member interjected. "Let them get it out of their systems."

"Silence, everybody," the leader of the group interrupted, holding his hand into the air. The other four stopped whatever they were doing and bowed respectfully.

"Master..." everyone proclaimed.

"At ease, Delegates of Darkness," the leader stated, stepping up to the glowing green crystal ball that rested at the center of the table. "Today's mission is very important. We must find the girl known as the Memory Rosary."

"Wait. The Memory Rosary?" the first member wondered. "Wasn't she killed when her home was destroyed?"

"She was the only survivor," the leader continued. "The memories that rest inside the Memory Rosary are crucial to our cause. You know what you must do."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Saiki-kun, come on already!!"

"Calm down, Yuki-chan."

"No! Otherwise, we'll get beaten there?"

"By who?"

"By my impatience. NOW HURRY!!"

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki tightened her grip on Saiki Shidoosha's hand as the two continued running down the street, the black witch her usual bright and cheery self.

"Saiki-kun..." she continued to urge, gripping on his sleeve.

"Not nearly as impatient as Nick-kun, but..." Her boyfriend twirled her around, getting her to successfully stop. "Learn some."

Yuki blushed at this, looking down at her feet.

"Um..."

_Like a dance... Like a dance..._

Saiki pecked her forehead.

"Come on, let's take this nice and _slow_."

His girlfriend's blush deepened as the couple walked in silence.

"Urr... Is this... Is this okay, Saiki-kun?"

_His hand is so warm... Ah..._

Saiki just laughed, patting her head.

"Why not, Yuki-chan?"

"W-Well..."

"Hm?"

Yuki flushed, gulping. "Um... Uh... Well..."

"Yuki-chan."

"Huh?" She looked up, her face a bright pink. "Y-Y-Yes?"

Saiki just smiled, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. Yuki blushed deeply at the gesture.

"U-Um... Saiki-kun?"

_What is he...?_

Her eyes widened, and she pursued her lips, closing them. Saiki noticed, and bent down to press his lips to hers.

"Mmm..."

_Saiki-kun..._

Yuki separated, still flushed. "If Nick-kun sees..." she started, silently fiddling with a free lock of her hair.

Saiki shrugged, smiling sadly.

"I'll lose all respect he had for me, I suppose?"

The black witch couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, Saiki-kun..."

_Would Nick-kun really do that? I sure hope not._

She smiled, standing on her toes to peck his lips again.

"If he threatens to lock me up, I'll just sneak out like I always did before."

Saiki pursued his lips, his expression thoughtful.

"That's not being very considerate of your older brother's feelings."

Yuki sighed, laying her head to his chest.

_He's so right... I shouldn't take advantage of onii-chan like that... But, still..._

"Nick-kun does need to lighten up sometimes... Saiki-kun, your heart is racing... Why is that, I wonder?"

Saiki blushed at this, stroking her hair.

"Yuki-chan..."

Yuki just smiled, closing her eyes in relaxation.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to turn out just fine. Saiki-kun..."

She looked up at him, smiling brightly.

"No need to worry, deshou?"

Saiki shook his head, smiling back.

"Whatever you say, princess."

Yuki laughed at that, burying her face back in his chest.

_It's true... It's not as warm as Nick-kun's embrace... It makes me feel different, too._

Her eyes opened halfway, her expression dazed.

_With Nick-kun... There's a feeling of security... Of protection... I know Nick-kun will always stay by me... I know he'll always be by my side... I know I'll always have him when I need him... No matter what._

Her eyes closed.

_But, with Saiki-kun..._

Her lips formed a tight line, and her grip tightened on the fabric.

_It's not that different... But more of a relief... With Saiki-kun, it's kinda like that feeling where you just know he's the one... That feeling of intuition, like when you just know the future will be wonderful... That's what it's like, I think._

She smiled, giggling a bit.

_I guess, when there are two very special people in your life... That's when you just know that you're not really alone... I..._

Yuki pressed deeper into his arms, making Saiki perk up.

_I..._

"Yuki-chan?"

_I... I love Saiki-kun._

Her smile widened, and she let out a sigh.

_I want... I want Saiki-kun to always be there for me and Nick-kun... No matter what happens, I don't want to lose either of them. I want to be with them... Forever and ever..._

Saiki's eyelids lowered, and he sighed himself.

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

His eyes suddenly jolted open.

_...?!_

He quickly pushed Yuki away, surprising her.

"S-Saiki-kun?"

"There's something wrong. Better hurry," he muttered, snatching her hand. "Come on, Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki yelped as he pulled her through the streets, panting as she ran to keep up.

"S-Saiki-kun... Wait..." Her voice was breathless.

"Wait... _Saiki-kun_!!"

He flinched at the way she said his name.

"No... It's alright, Yuki-chan."

Yuki just shook her head, shutting her eyes.

_No... That's a lie... Saiki-kun..._

She perked up herself.

_...What?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick sat up and looked out the window, wondering what it was that he just felt.

"Wait a minute. Something's not right," Nick noted. "Why am I sensing this weird evil presence? I haven't felt anything this weird since Yuki-chan and I took care of Tabuu..."

Nick took a good look ahead, trying to make sense of this odd feeling.

"Something about all this doesn't add up," Nick wondered. "I'd better go check this out."

His mind made up, Nick hopped out of bed and was dressed within a minute. Not wasting any time, he grabbed his wand and headed out the front door.

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Upon reaching the carnival where he and Yuki were going to spend the day, Nick saw no sign of his sister or her boyfriend.

"That's strange... I could have sworn Yuki-chan would've been here by now..." Nick noted. "I hope something didn't happen to her..."

Then, Nick felt it. A mysterious presence that somehow seemed familiar.

Nick just barely got Hanyou Hikari up in time to block the attack that was sent his way.

Turning around, he saw none other than Black Waltz Three floating there with his trademark sneer on his face.

"You know, Waltz, I'm getting pretty sick of you by now," Nick stated, gripping his weapon tightly. "Why don't you crawl back to whatever dimension you came from and _stay the hell away from this one?!_"

"Sorry, bratling, but I have orders to find the Memory Rosary," Waltz responded, not once losing his composure. "You will not stand in my way."

Nick just growled, ready for anything Waltz was gonna pull.

"NICK-KUN!!!"

Nick spun around at this, noticing that Yuki and Saiki had just arrived.

"What the...?! Waltz?! Why the hell are you here?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Ah, another day, another order, huh, Shinoya?" Waltz taunted. "Just be grateful that I don't kill you where you stand."

"How are you even still alive, you freak?!" Yuki shot back, remembering when they'd last defeated Waltz...

(flashback)

"_Remember, Yuki-chan, duck and weave!!" Nick exclaimed._

_Yuki followed her brother's instructions, dropping to the ground and rolling to the side in order to avoid the energy blasts that Waltz was lobbing at them nonstop._

"_Why don't you just give it up, brats?" Waltz sneered. "There's no way you can win!"_

"_Don't count your chickens just yet, Waltz!!" Yuki shot right back. "Onii-chan and I still have a few tricks up our sleeves!!"_

"_Oh? Like what, Shinoya?"_

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!" Nick exclaimed, slamming his weapon onto the ground and releasing a twister of rainbow energy that knocked Waltz back a few feet._

"_To answer your question, Waltz, something like that," Nick teased._

_Yuki hopped away from an energy whip attack and brought her hands out._

"_Gotcha now, freak!! SOUL LIGHTS!!!" Yuki exclaimed, unleashing multiple spheres of energy and having them all converge on Waltz at the same time._

_Nick rolled away from another energy ripple and joined his sister by the carnival entrance._

"_I don't know about you, onee-chan, but I'm getting real sick of this guy by now," Nick stated, making Yuki blush; he hadn't called her 'onee-chan' in a while. "What do you say we send him to the glue factory?"_

"_Probably the best idea I've heard all day," Yuki responded, joining hands with her big brother._

"_Wings that glitter..." Yuki chanted._

"_Wings that sparkle..." Nick chanted._

_Nick and Yuki pulled each other close, as if they were dancing, both of them glowing with an impossibly bright twilight aura._

"_As a promise is made on the wings of destiny, we won't let the power of darkness overcome this world!!"_

_Waltz tried to recover from the damage he'd taken, but no such luck._

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Wings!!!"_

_Responding to this, a massive collection of silver feathers burst from Nick and Yuki's free hands and surrounded Waltz, shining brightly._

_The last sound the two siblings heard from Waltz was his scream of pure terror as the wings surrounding him engulfed him in a powerful purifying spell. When the light cleared, Waltz was no more._

"_Well, that was fun," Yuki stated. "NOW LET'S GO TO THE CARNIVAL!!!"_

_Nick couldn't help but laugh at that statement._

(end flashback)

"How I survived this is really none of your business," Waltz taunted. "But if you'll excuse me, I have a mission I must complete."

And with that, Waltz was gone.

Before the siblings could say anything, Saiki perked up, sensing something nearby.

"There's someone here... not someone we know..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Saiki-kun?"

Yuki blinked as Saiki continued looking around.

_What could it possibly be? Is it dangerous? Is it good? Ooh, geez..._

She shook her head quickly, gulping.

_I SO don't have a good feeling about this._

"Saiki-kun, what can you tell us about the energy?" Nick asked, immediately taking the defensive as he pulled Yuki close.

"This power is amazing... I haven't felt anything like it... Probably second to say, Yuki-chan's energy?" Saiki blinked lightly, letting a sigh escape his lips.

"There's something wrong with it... I can't even identify what kind of magic is behind this..."

This startled them.

"What?! Could it be..."

"No, no... Not those Delegates of Darkness... If that was the case... I can't even really sense all that much dark magic... There's something..."

_There's something... else... Where have I heard of this?_

His eyes widened.

_Wait a minute!!_

"Saiki-kun?"

"This way, quickly!" he exclaimed, quickly bolting off.

"SAIKI-KUN!!" Yuki cried out before yanking on her brother's arm.

"Come on Nick-kun, we have to follow Saiki-kun!!"

Nick just nodded. "Right."

_I wonder why he suddenly rushed off in the first place... It seems so uncharacteristic... Oh, well. Better go find out._

Yuki squeezed his hand, and the two were off.

_Saiki-kun..._ the black witch thought quietly.

_Saiki-kun..._

Saiki perked up while he ran, a bit confused. "Getting closer..."

_Wait... What?_

He screeched to a stop and quickly turned in time when he felt an impact.

"Ite!" a girl's voice yelped. "S-S-Sorry..."

Saiki blinked, holding the swirly-eyed girl up by her shoulder.

"Found her."

The girl yelped, revealing her deep yellow eyes, slit like a cat's.

"Found who? Who'd you find?"

She stared at the wizard in question, catlike eyes blinking.

After five seconds, she held up a hand.

"Hi!"

Saiki made a face.

_Her hair is as dark as Yuki-chan's is... Is this where the strange energy was coming from?_

"...Can you let go now?"

He obeyed, dropping his hands.

"Where were you running off to, anyway?"

"Huh?" she blinked, looking thoughtful. Another expression, Saiki noticed with slight interest, resembled Yuki.

"I have no idea."

_That's something I'd expect from Yuki-chan. How ironic._

Saiki chuckled at the thought, confusing her.

"Um... Mister?"

The girl shrugged, fiddling with her ponytail. "Urr..."

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized before holding out his hand. "May I help you, miss?"

She blushed at that, taking his hand. "Okay!"

"Saiki-kun?"

Saiki instantly flinched, turning to face the two siblings. Nick looked confused, while Yuki was just in shock.

Finally, the black witch turned red, and charged, slapping Saiki's hand away from the girl's.

"_Stay away from him_!!" she exclaimed, possessively wrapping her arms around his waist, earning a deep blush from her boyfriend.

"Y-Yuki-chan... This is..."

"Is that how you treat _every_ girl you meet?!" she demanded, flustered.

"She ran into me and I helped her out. End of story."

"He's right!" the girl chirped, completely unaffected by Yuki's hostility. "Anyway, is this your girlfriend, mister?"

"Yes..." Saiki smiled. "Yuki-chan... This is Kioku-chan."

"Kioku?" Yuki and the girl both repeated at the same time, confused. Yuki stared at 'Kioku', her expression curious.

The other girl, however, just blinked. "Well... That's not actually my name... But okay!"

Nick walked up, folding his arms.

"Saiki-kun, is she what you sensed earlier?"

"Yes. This is my first time seeing Kioku-chan though..." Saiki grinned. "How interesting."

"So... what's your real name?" Yuki asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Or are we going to be stuck calling you Kioku-chan?"

"Senna." She grinned. "Nice to meet you!"

Senna grabbed Yuki's hands, holding them up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuki-chan! That's what Saiki-kun, which what you called him, called you! You're so adorable! I like you already!"

Yuki blinked, a little embarrassed, and a little freaked.

"S-Same here, Senna-chan... Sorry I attacked you earlier."

"How can I stay angry at an angelic face like that?" Senna laughed. "S'okay, Yuki-chaaaan!"

She perked up, staring at Saiki in confusion.

"What I wanna know is why you called me 'Kioku-chan' earlier. If you wanted to call me something, just ask for my name."

Saiki frowned. "My mistake... That's just what you were, that's all."

Nick perked up at this. "Come again?"

"It's nothing, Nick-kun."

Nick looked confused before turning annoyed.

"What? Do you not trust me, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki looked at him, his expression a bit blank.

"I'm just telling you not to worry. There's no need to know about Senna-chan's kind..."

Senna responded to this with a typical "eh?" and spun around.

"Ohhh... By the way, I just remembered where I was going... See ya!"

And with that, she sped off.

"Well... She was weird." Yuki couldn't help but state.

Saiki, on the other hand, just huffed.

"We need to go after her."

"Huh?"

The siblings looked at Saiki. Yuki looked worried.

"S-Saiki-kun?"

"Just trust me on this. Believe me, Yuki-chan."

The black witch blushed, and nodded.

"O-Okay then!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Where'd she go?" Yuki wondered. "It's not that easy to get lost in this town..."

"I'm more worried about the trouble she might be in," Nick responded. "The Delegates of Darkness are still crawling around the place. Who knows what's gonna happen if Senna-chan runs into them!"

"I'm sure she'll be able to handle herself," Saiki noted. "The strongest people they had are all gone, right?"

Nick just nodded, not wanting to relive the day when he'd almost lost Yuki to his own father.

"I'm not one to leave friends waiting in the dust!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Pour on the speed, you two!!"

And with that, Yuki shot off in a blur.

"Sometimes I wonder why she's so hyper," Saiki wondered.

"Ah, Yuki-chan's been like that since we were kids," Nick admitted as the two shot off after Yuki.

Sure enough, when they finally caught up with Yuki, she was staring at something... that looked very familiar to Nick.

"Wait. Isn't that the Sand Scorpion?!" Nick exclaimed. "Didn't Yuki-chan take care of that thing when we went to the future?!"

Saiki thought back to what Nick had said after he and Yuki had returned home that day...

(flashback)

_Seemingly ignoring Yuki's proclamation, the Sand Scorpion began dashing away. Yuki immediately broke into a sprint, surprisingly being able to keep up with the monster._

_The Sand Scorpion didn't take too lightly to this, and began swinging its pincers for the black witch apprentice, who nimbly dodged them all. Satoshi was the first to notice that a snow-white energy aura had appeared around Yuki._

'_Wait. Isn't that the aura that otou-san told me about?' Satoshi wondered as Yuki continued to dodge each strike from the Sand Scorpion._

"_Why don't you stand still, you little freak?!" Yuki exclaimed, searching for a weak spot in the bug behemoth. She quickly dodged a horizontal strike from one of the pincers..._

_...and that's when she saw it: a massive eyeball on the top of the scorpion._

"_Checkmate!!" Yuki exclaimed, stepping up her sprint just in time to dodge a slash from the Sand Scorpion's bladed tail that was apparently longer than its body was. Yuki somersaulted off of the tail and drew her Jewelry Poron._

"_Got you now!!" Yuki shouted, thrusting her hands forward and quite literally plunging her Jewelry Poron into the behemoth's eye, causing it to stop dead in its tracks and lurch forward, the damage done._

_The beast began to twitch and glow, but Yuki was already a safe distance away, holding her Jewelry Poron in a victorious pose as the Sand Scorpion promptly exploded in a flash of orange and red._

(end flashback)

"I thought I trashed that thing, too!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Something here doesn't add up!!"

The Sand Scorpion responded by letting out a massive roar and whipping its tail towards Yuki.

Nick was about to roll over to defend his little sister, but stopped short when she saw someone else over there in a flash, raising her staff to block the Sand Scorpion's attack – it was Senna!

"Hi, Yuki-chaaan!!" Senna exclaimed. "You just relax, okay? Let me take care of this!!"

Yuki couldn't do much but nod.

The Sand Scorpion stared down at Senna, sizing up its new challenger.

Senna lifted her free hand up and waved her finger like a certain famous hedgehog. "Don't think I'll be so easy to beat, scorpion boy!!"

The Sand Scorpion just swung its tail again, which Senna easily blocked with her staff.

"Oh, so that's the way you're going to play, huh?" Senna giggled, spinning her staff around in her hands.

**("co-no-mi-chi" by Buono! plays)**

The Sand Scorpion swung its left pincer for Senna, hoping to strike her unguarded side.

Quite unexpectedly, Senna whipped around, leapt into the air, and brought her staff down HARD on the Sand Scorpion's left eye, the impact actually shattering the eye socket.

"Nice try, buddy!!" Senna exclaimed.

This didn't faze the Sand Scorpion, which tried a low sweeping attack with its right pincer.

"Didn't I tell you that that's not going to work?" Senna giggled, striking with her staff again and shattering the other eye socket with one hard hit. This just left the big eye on the top of the creature.

"One more left," Senna stated. "If you just give up and go away, I may go easy on you."

The Sand Scorpion roared in response to this.

Senna's grin widened. "Didn't think so."

With that, Senna dodged a strike from the Sand Scorpion's pincer and rolled over to Nick, Yuki, and Saiki, holding her staff in front of her.

Nick was quite surprised when he saw Senna's staff beginning to glow brightly.

"Wait, Nick-kun... we've seen that glow before..." Yuki noted.

"Yeah... when we summon our weapons..." Nick remembered.

Senna smiled, wind beginning to swirl around her staff.

"_Call forth the twilight!! Mirokumaru!!"_

A bright flash covered the area, and when it cleared, Senna's weapon had transformed into what appeared to be a Shaolin staff with a spearhead on the tip, connected to her hand by a bracelet ring.

Senna brought Mirokumaru behind her, beginning to glow once again. Before long, a ball of energy appeared above Senna's head.

"My serve!!" Senna giggled, tossing the energy ball into the air and striking it with Mirokumaru. This sent the energy sphere careening straight into the Sand Scorpion's remaining eye, causing it to shatter instantly.

Finally defeated, the Sand Scorpion slumped to the ground before exploding in a bright flash.

Nick and Yuki could only stare on in complete surprise. Senna noticed this, turning around to flash a thumbs up towards the siblings.

"No problem!!"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"As expected."

Saiki smiled. "Way to go, Senna-chan."

Yuki flinched, gritting her teeth.

_Please tell me he's just in awe like I am... Come on..._

"Where did you learn to do all that, Senna-chan?" Nick couldn't help but ask, a little confused.

"Training, but of course. I'm more than just a pretty face."

Senna turned to Yuki, her eyes glittering in expectation.

"Did I impress you, Yuki-chan?"

"Huh?"

The black witch casted a glance to Saiki before she turned back to Senna and huffed.

"It was... okay, I guess."

Senna grinned. "Great, I'm so happy!!"

The black witch raised an eyebrow at this, looking over.

_Why does my opinion even matter? I thought we were..._

Her eyes drifted to Saiki again.

_I thought we were rivals or something..._

It took a while before Saiki returned her stare, a bit confused.

"Is something wrong, Yuki-chan?"

The black witch blushed, and quickly shook her head.

"N-No! That's not it at all!!"

_I'm jealous, Saiki-kun! Why are you so interested in Senna-chan all of a sudden? What is she exactly? Am I not enough?_

Her frown deepened.

_I'm worried... I want you and Nick-kun to stay by my side forever. Is that really such a crime?_

Saiki's expression turned uneasy.

"Is that really the case?"

_She's lying. I know she is._

Yuki blushed, bowing her head in shame.

"D-Don't worry... No need to worry... No worries... No worries..."

_No worries...? Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..._

"Yuki-chan, what's wrong?" Nick demanded, shaking her shoulders. "You can tell me, can't you?"

_Yuki-chan..._

Yuki's expression turned blank, her head still bowed as she kept her bangs as a curtain from her eyes.

_I can't tell him. I can't._

"It's nothing Nick-kun, absolutely nothing..."

"Yuki-chan..." Nick looked at Saiki, and gritted his teeth. At this, he flinched and kept his head bowed as well.

_Yuki-chan..._

"Yuki-chan... I..."

"Hey, why's everything so dramatic all of a sudden?" Senna wondered aloud, earning all three of them to just stare.

She noticed, and gave another thoughtful expression.

"I mean, it's just so confusing. Like this is some sort of drama."

She laughed.

"Get what I'm saying? Do ya, do ya?"

"Senna-chan..."

Senna waved her hands.

"Hey, I'm worried about Yuki-chan. That blank stare on her face SO does not work with her cuteness! Come on, Yuki-chan! Show us an angelic smile!"

_Ain't no crime, ain't no crime._

Yuki blushed darkly at this.

"H-Huh?"

Senna beamed.

"Come on Yuki-chan, you're a very cute girl."

The black witch blinked, and she tentatively glanced at Saiki. Her boyfriend just gave her a comforting smile and nodded.

She smiled, and laughed.

"Thanks, Senna-chan. You're really pretty yourself."

Senna giggled.

"Now THAT'S the one!"

Nick just shook his head, smiling himself.

"Which reminds me... How did you get here, Senna-chan?"

"I fell from the sky."

"Oh, I see... Wait, _what_?!"

Senna gave a cat-like grin, something that worked perfectly with her golden cat-like eyes.

"Just kidding. Come on, I'll show you, Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki looked at Nick, and the two just shrugged. This seemed to make Senna happier.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, happily clapping her hands together. "That's just great, yes?"

Senna then realized something, gasping.

"Ohhh, _riiight_..."

She turned to Saiki, who instantly perked up.

"Senna-chan?"

"Saiki-kun, you come too! You seem to be responsible for a _lot_ of Yuki-chan's smiles, and I wanna see more!"

"Huh?" The younger prince looked confused before shaking his head. "What's that supposed to mean, Senna-chan?"

At this, Yuki flushed.

_Senna-chan... knows that Saiki-kun is actually my boyfriend, right? I was going to invite him anyway! But it's a little weird that Senna-chan says because she wants to see me smile... Huh..._

She looked down, a bit confused.

_I wonder... why is that? Does Senna-chan really think I'm all that cute? Really? Wow..._

She smiled a bit.

_I might have completely misjudged her. What a terrible person I am._

A sigh escaped her lips.

_Saiki-kun... I... I'm so sorry for making you and Nick-kun so worried about me..._

"So whatta ya say, Saiki-kun?" Senna asked expectantly, her golden eyes glittering.

Saiki glanced at Yuki, and just smiled himself.

"Sure. Why not?"

"More yay!!" Senna squealed, taking Yuki's hand and bolting off.

"Come on, let's go, go, GOOO~"

Nick and Saiki just stared at each other, shrugged, and followed the two girls.

"Yuki-chan hasn't changed one bit... She and Senna-chan are a lot alike."

"You can say that again, Saiki-kun."

"Huh..."

Saiki smiled to himself.

_I suppose this is alright... Isn't it?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Right there," Senna stated once they'd reached their destination. Senna was pointing to a mysterious, pulsing blue portal. "I don't really know how, but I came from here."

"What's on the other side of the portal?" Nick asked.

"No clue!!" Senna cheerfully responded, to which Nick instantly sweatdropped.

"I don't really let things like this faze me," Senna noted. "I like being chipper and upbeat, so it takes a LOT to get on my nerves!!"

_I can see that,_ Saiki thought.

Just then, an explosion rocked the area around the four teenagers. When Senna looked up, she noticed Black Waltz Three standing there.

"You again?" Senna wondered. "You seem to be pretty persistent."

"So I've been told," Waltz sneered.

"What did I tell you, Waltz?!" Nick exclaimed, brandishing his weapon. "Stay in your own dimension!!"

"Not this time, brats," Waltz shot back, readying his personal battle sword. "I believe I've found the Memory Rosary at last."

This confused everyone present. "What are you talking about, freak?" Yuki wondered.

Senna's eyes widened at this simple statement. _How does he know?_

"You didn't tell them, Senna?" Waltz sneered. "They have no idea, do they?"

"Why don't you start making sense, freak show?!" Nick shot back.

"You see the girl you just met?" Waltz explained. "She's what legends call the Memory Rosary. This means that she is made of nothing but memories. And these memories hold a very special power that is just what we of the Delegates of Darkness need. So, give her up now, or you're all as good as dead," Waltz stated.

"Try all you like, freak show," Nick shot back, gripping Nenshou Hikari tightly. "You're not touching Senna-chan while we're around!!"

Nick, Yuki, and Senna all brought out their weapons, ready to call on their powers.

"_Shutsuga Tobiume!! Flick them with the mysterious energy of twilight!!"_

"_The twilight that engulfs the darkness!! Seijin Mirokumaru!!"_

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari!!"_

With these calls, all three had their weapons in final release form and ready for battle. Senna's new weapon looked similar to the original Mirokumaru, only instead of a spearhead, it had a pair of glowing angel wings, the staff was decorated with rare jewels, and the bracelet that connected it to Senna's arm was now a gold ring.

"Let's send this bad boy home crying!!" Senna giggled, to which Nick and Yuki just sweatdropped. Shaking it off, the two siblings attacked first.

"_Twilight Rush!!"_

"_Aura Crescent!!"_

The attacks struck Waltz fast and hard, forcing him back a few feet.

Senna grinned, bringing Seijin Mirokumaru behind her. The angel wings on the weapon's front began glowing brightly before expanding to about twenty times their normal size.

"Open wide, freak!!" Senna exclaimed, performing a spectacular spinning attack that left a wide gash in Waltz's side.

Not content with just that, Senna performed a slashing uppercut that knocked Waltz backwards before finishing it all up with a powerful downward chop that caused quite a toll of damage.

"Take that!!" Senna exclaimed.

"_To the beings of hope..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_To the beings of spirit..."_ Nick continued.

"_Together with the ones that reside between light and dark, gather into our own hands and dispel the evil with our purity!!"_ both Nick and Yuki chanted, letting their arms rest around each other while drawing their free hands back.

"_Double Ojamajo Twilight Whirlwind!!"_

The massive whirlwind came too fast for Waltz to be able to guard or block, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Okay, I'm getting real tired of you by now, Waltz," Nick stated, holding Hanyou Hikari out.

"You and me both, Nick-kun," Yuki replied, letting Shutsuga Tobiume's blade rest on Hanyou Hikari's blade.

"I'm all for it!!" Senna giggled, letting Seijin Mirokumaru rest on top of the siblings' weapons.

When all three weapons touched, the resulting energy tremor caused the blades of all three weapons to be engulfed in a bright light.

Not wasting a single second, the three teenagers brought their weapons above them, all aiming for the dazed Waltz.

"_Divine Absolution!!!"_ all three of them cried, bringing their weapons slashing down at exactly the same time. The sheer power of this triple strike was enough to force Waltz to retreat.

"That's what you get, jerk!!" Senna taunted as Waltz flew off.

However, before he completely disappeared, Waltz shot something towards Senna that struck her chest area, causing it to emit a bright light.

"Senna-chan?!" Yuki exclaimed as she and Nick rushed towards Senna.

Then, everything went white.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Uh... what happened?" Yuki asked.

"No idea," Nick responded. "MY question is, where the hell are we?"

Yuki looked around; the two siblings were in what appeared to be a void similar to the one they'd found themselves in while confronting Tabuu not too long ago. The only difference was that pictures were swirling all around them, playing back like videos.

Just then, Nick caught something peculiar about one of the pictures he saw swirling about the void.

"Is... is that Senna-chan in that one?" Nick wondered.

"We must be inside Senna-chan's heart," Yuki wondered.

"Not what I'd expect from being inside someone's heart," Nick admitted.

"_This isn't fair, okaa-sama!! Why are you trying to run my life?!!"_

"_Sometimes I wish I'd never been born..."_

"_Not you, too, otou-san!! Why are you acting this way?! You're supposed to be my parents!!"_

"_MOM!!!! DAD!!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"_

"Who said that?!" Nick exclaimed.

"I think it's coming from the pictures, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, thinking hard. Suddenly, it dawned on her. "OF COURSE!!! These pictures... they're memories!!"

"Memories?" Nick repeated. "What the heck?"

"Remember, Nick-kun, Waltz called Senna-chan the Memory Rosary. Maybe some of these memories belong to Senna-chan," Yuki explained.

"Good point," Nick responded. "Why don't we do some exploring and see what we can learn?"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki looked around the surrounding memories, confused.

"Senna-chan... What happened to you?" she whispered, placing her hand on one of the disappearing images, causing the picture to turn a bright white.

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing to his sister's side. He stopped at the memory, his eyes widening.

"Yuki-chan..."

Yuki blinked, and closed her eyes, letting the memory over take her.

_Senna-chan... Senna-chan... Senna-chan..._

_Her eyes open, looking about as she stared down the festival roads, almost everyone in yukatas._

"_Senna-chan!!" a cheery voice called out._

_I turned around, a smile stamped on my face at the sight of the brunette, with equally brown eyes and her hair shoulder-length as she wore her water-lily designed kimono._

"_Retsu-chan!"_

_Retsu beamed, taking my hand in hers. "I can't believe you made it, Senna-chan! I'm so happy!!"_

_I couldn't help but smile at that._

"_What can I say? I wanted the free food."_

"_Geez, Senna-chan!!"_

_Retsu laughed, tugging on my hands. "Come on! The fireworks show is starting! You have no idea how badly I want to see that!!"_

_I nodded, following after her._

"_...Retsu-chan?"_

"_What is it, Senna-chan?"_

"_Um... About my parents..."_

"_Hey, everyone has their issues! We just need to stay strong and remain positive!" Retsu grinned. "Deshou?"_

_I just nodded, smiling brightly._

"_Thank you, Retsu-chan."_

_Retsu winked._

"_What are friends for?"_

_...Friends?_

_A smile slowly made its way to my face._

"_Yeah. Friends forever."_

_Retsu laughed again, and hand in hand, we made out way to the fireworks that day._

_Friends... Retsu..._

_Retsu..._

_Retsu..._

"_RETSU-CHAN, NO!!"_

Yuki's eyes snapped open, her breath coming out in a gasp.

"Retsu...chan..." she whispered, shaking her head. "What was that?"

"I guess Retsu-chan was just a friend of hers... Reminds me of you, Yuki-chan." Nick grinned at that. "What's next?"

He tapped another memory, letting their minds go blank.

"_What are you doing?"_

_I immediately wiped my face of tears, and turned to face the girl who asked that question._

_I gulped, yep. There was the shrine maiden, holding a broom, looking as innocent as possible._

"_I-I'm sorry... Was I being a bother?"_

"_Not at all." She smiled, looking bright and cheerful. "Can I help you?"_

"_N-No..." I stammered, making my way out..._

_...Only for her to grab my hand._

"_Sit down. Let me listen to your problems." She winked at me, perfectly trustworthy._

"_My name is Retsu. Let me help!"_

_I blushed, and nodded._

"_Senna... My name is Senna..."_

_Retsu gave me a huge grin._

"_Okay then, Senna-chan!"_

_Why was it so easy to open up to her...?_

Nick perked up. "So Retsu-chan was some sort of a shrine maiden..."

Yuki frowned. _I wonder... what happened to Retsu-chan... Did she get into some sort of an accident?_

She noticed a particular memory, her eyes widening.

"Saiki-kun?" she wondered tentatively tapping the memory, letting her see it. "Saiki-kun..."

Nick looked at Yuki, his eyes wide.

"Yuki-chan..."

"_Wake up."_

"_Five more minutes," I moaned, rolling over to block the sun._

_Yamato wasn't going to have that._

"_Senna-chan, wake up." He urged, patting my cheek._

_My eyes fluttered open, focusing on his face. Same dark chestnut eyes, same albeit messy black hair. Same Yamato._

_I felt a blush color my cheeks, and I finally smiled, getting up and stretching out._

"_Couldn't you have wait on me, Yamato-kun? Would it have killed you?"_

_He grinned, ruffling my hair._

"_No... Just wanted to see you actually awake, Senna-chan." Yamato laughed, patting my head again._

"_Ya feeling better? After what happened with your parents?"_

_I blushed and dropped my gaze, nodding._

"_A... A little. And it's all thanks to you, Yamato-kun."_

_He blushed at that._

"_Oh... Really?"_

_I nodded._

"_Really."_

_I kissed his cheek, taking pleasure in the bright red that covered his face._

"_I don't know what I'd do without you."_

Yuki gasped, covering her mouth. "There's barely a resemblance... But he does remind me of my Saiki-kun."

Nick just nodded.

"All of these memories... Why don't we take less time, okay?"

Yuki nodded as well. "Agreed."

"_Senna-chan, come on!! I want to see the fireworks..."_ Retsu's voice rang out as she smiled brightly. _"Let's go see them!"_

Yuki perked up, frowning.

"Nick-kun... This isn't a good memory... It really isn't..."

"Hang in there, Yuki-chan..." Nick started, though in reality, there wasn't much more he could take, either.

"_Senna-chan... I'm leaving."_

"_Eh? But why? Yamato-kun, you... You're all I have left... Mom... Dad... Retsu-chan... You're... You're it."_

"_Senna-chan."_

_Yamato turned to me, smiling._

"_You still haven't answered my question."_

_I perked up, blushing._

"_B-But... Yamato-kun..."_

"_Come with me," he insisted, holding out his hand. "Please Senna-chan... Just come with me."_

_I shook my head, taking a few steps back._

"_N-No... I can't leave Retsu-chan..."_

"_She's gone. Please, move on..." he pleaded, his offered hand trembling._

_I shook my head again._

_Yamato frowned, but sighed._

"_...Fine. I'll give you more time. When I return, please give me an answer, Senna-chan."_

_I nodded weakly, and he stepped into the bus. It wasn't until the bus took off when tears filled my eyes, and I ran after it._

"_Yamato-kun!! Don't go!! Please don't go!!" I cried out before I tripped, falling harshly to the ground._

"_Ya... mato..."_

_I looked up miserably, tears streaming down my cheeks. I sniffled, burying my face in my arms._

"_YAMATO-KUN!!"_

_I knew my answer... But it was already too late..._

_Yamato..._

"STOP!!" Yuki's scream erupted as she fell to her knees. "Don't... Don't... SAIKI-KUN, STOP!! STOP, PLEASE!!"

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, trying to sooth her. She just flailed her arms about, struggling as she hysterically reached out.

"Saiki-kun!! Saiki-kun!! SAIKI-KUN, PLEASE!! DON'T!!! DON'T!! ONEGAI!!! SAIKI-KUN!!" she broke down sobbing.

"No... No more... Nick-kun... No more... Take me to him... Take me to Saiki-kun right now!!"

"H-Hang in there..." her older brother stammered, wild with the worry from his little sister's torture.

"NO!! SAIKI-KUUUN!!!" she screamed again, her face wet with tears. "Sai-Sai-_SAIKI-KUUUUNNNN_!!"

"He's fine, Yuki-chan, he's fine!!" Nick exclaimed, still trying to calm her down to no avail. "Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan..."

"Leave me alone!!" she snapped, slapping him across the face, shocking him. Never once had Yuki hit him. His grip lessened, and she forced herself out, only to fall to her knees, horrified.

"Ni... Ni... Nick-kun... I... I..."

Retsu's face flashed in their minds again, but this time she was beaten, bloody, her face was swollen as blood trickled from her lips, and her eyes were blank.

"_Senna-chan... Remember... Remember that..."_

"_NOOOO_!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"NOOOO!!"

"Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan, calm down!!" Saiki exclaimed, shaking Yuki out of her nightmare. "Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan..."

Yuki's eyes jolted open, and her face was wet with tears.

"Saiki-kun..." she whispered, almost in disbelief.

Her boyfriend let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me... Fainting... You were screaming in your sleep... Nick-kun and Senna-chan are..."

Yuki threw her arms around his neck, crushing her mouth to his. Saiki's eyes widened, and he quickly returned it before the desperation kicked in...

_No..._

He quickly shoved her away, breathless.

"What's gotten into you... Yuki-chan...?"

Yuki's stare is blank, though her eyes overfill with tears as she collapsed in his arm, crushing herself to his body as much as she could. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she sniffled.

"Nick-kun... Senna-chan... Retsu-chan... Yamato-kun... Saiki-kun, don't go..."

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered, holding her close, being as delicate as he could at that time. "I'll stay, shhhh... Stop crying, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki blinked and shook her head.

"N-No! Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..."

He captured her lips to stop her, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Believe me."

Her lower lip trembled, and she rested against him, closing her eyes.

"Saiki-kun... I know the answer..."

Saiki raised his eyebrows in confusion, but just stroked her hair again, tightening his embrace on her frail body.

He glanced at Senna and Nick, still both unconscious. Finally, he just shook his head.

_It doesn't even matter anymore. Not with her like this._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick was the first to wake up, staring at the unconscious Senna, then looking over at the distraught Yuki.

"I see..." Nick stated, not sounding at all like his usual self. "Senna-chan didn't want to relive such painful memories..."

"Um, Nick-kun, what exactly happened in there that's making Yuki-chan act like this?" Saiki wondered, cutting right to the chase.

"Trust me, Saiki-kun, you do not want to know," Nick responded, looking over at Senna. "If memories that harsh were enough to make my sister freak out and slap me, memories like that are best left unsaid, as far as I'm concerned."

"What kind of memories did you two encounter?" Saiki wondered.

"Only Senna-chan could tell us the full story," Nick noted.

Almost as if on cue, Senna woke up, stretching her arms. She didn't seem to have any idea that Nick and Yuki knew about her memories.

"Hey, guys," Senna stated, still chipper and upbeat as ever. "What'd I miss?"

Senna looked at the concerned faces of Nick and Saiki, and all of the pieces fell into place easily.

Senna's cheerful demeanor instantly vanished at this. "You know, don't you? You know about my memories?"

"What exactly were all those memories about?" Nick wondered, only to stop himself short when he saw tears forming in Senna's golden eyes. "_Gomen-nasai, _Senna-chan. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to..."

Senna just shook her head. "No, I need to say this. I've kept it all bottled up for so long, so maybe talking about it will make me feel a little better..."

Senna looked up into the sky as she began her sad tale. "It all started when I was two years old, way before I knew of my powers as the Memory Rosary. I grew up in a broken family. My mother was always away on business, and it really affected my father. After a while, he just snapped, and he... he..." Senna couldn't get the next words out, she was shivering so badly. Thankfully, Nick understood.

"Yeah, I remember that. Yuki-chan and I went through that, too," Nick noted.

Senna tilted her head back a bit as she continued. "Two years after that madness started... things only got worse... my parents were killed when my house was destroyed by that Waltz character... despite everything my father had done to me, despite the fact that my mother was never home... I still cried for their deaths. I was alone for so long... until one day when I was five. I was passing by the sacred temple, and the shrine maiden noticed me. She was very nice to me..."

"Retsu, right?" Yuki asked, having calmed down a bit in Saiki's comforting embrace.

Senna nodded. "We became friends really quickly... I was glad to have Retsu-chan as a friend. She took so many of the bad times away. Then, when I started junior high school... I met Yamato-kun..."

"He was your boyfriend, right?" Nick asked, earning another nod from Senna.

"He was the greatest boyfriend a girl could ever have," Senna explained. "He would always answer when I called him, he always knew exactly how to cheer me up when I was feeling down... he was wonderful... but... a year ago... he had to move away because of family issues... I thought it couldn't get any worse... but I was wrong... the very next day, I found Retsu-chan... someone had beaten her to death..."

Nick and Yuki said nothing, too shocked by what they had just heard.

Senna seemed to be fighting for all she was worth not to burst into a crying fit. "When I found out about my powers as the Memory Rosary, I sealed all of the bad memories away so they would never haunt me again... I didn't want to go through any of that ever again..."

And, finally, unable to take it anymore, Senna sank to her knees and burst out crying.

"It's not fair!!!" Senna exclaimed, the tears flowing freely now. "Why do I have to suffer these atrocities?! IT JUST ISN'T FAIR!!!!"

Senna just continued to cry for a few seconds, until...

"Smile."

Senna stopped crying for a few seconds and looked up at Nick, wondering why he'd just said that, of all things.

"We all have memories that we can never forget... and some of us have memories we wish we COULD forget..." Nick explained. "But you shouldn't let the bad memories run your life."

Senna slowly started drying her tears.

"I've always believed that despite the bad times, we write our own destinies," Nick continued. "And you're our friend now, Senna-chan. Your smile... that's all we need."

And with those words, Senna couldn't fight it anymore, a smile breaking out on her petite face.

"Thanks, Nick-kun," Senna stated, drying the last of her tears. "It's good to know that there are people out here who understand what I'm going through... I kept my feelings and memories bottled up for so long... I guess I just needed someone to talk to..."

"I know that feeling..." Yuki noted. "I lost count of how many times Nick-kun and I talked the night away when we couldn't sleep..."

"Remember, Senna-chan, just smile," Nick stated.

Slowly but surely, Senna was starting to look like her old self again.

"Will do," Senna giggled.

Just then, Yuki walked up to Nick and kissed him on the cheek for a few seconds.

"Nick-kun... I'm SO sorry I slapped you in the memory world..." Yuki explained. "Those bad memories were driving me crazy... I still had no right to do that to you... I'm so sorry... can you ever forgive me?"

Nick simply hugged his sister. "There's nothing to forgive, Yuki-chan. You didn't do anything wrong. Okay?"

Yuki smiled, settling into her brother's embrace. "Thanks, Nick-kun."

Just then, Yuki motioned over to Saiki. "Could you come over here for a bit, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki shrugged, but complied nonetheless.

When he was close enough, Yuki threw her arms around both boys.

"Saiki-kun, Saiki-kun, Saiki-kun..." Yuki swooned. "You've been such a wonderful boyfriend to me ever since that fateful day... God, I love you so much, Saiki-kun..."

Yuki leaned forward to connect her lips with her boyfriend's for a couple seconds before turning to Nick.

"Nick-kun... what can't I say about you? You've always been a protector to me, always keeping me safe... I won't ever forget the things you've done for me. EVER."

Yuki giggled a bit before kissing Nick on the forehead.

"Saiki-kun... Nick-kun... I want you two... to stay by my side forever..."

The two boys DEFINITELY weren't expecting THAT.

"Of... of course, Yuki-chan," Saiki answered, still a little confused.

"You know me, Yuki-chan. When I make a promise, I keep it," Nick answered.

"Yokatta..." Yuki repeated, tears flowing from her eyes.

Senna just giggled at the affectionate sight.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Say... Senna-chan?"

Senna perked up, Yuki turning to her and grinning.

"How about you come back home with us?"

Senna's eyes widened and she quickly nodded.

"O-Okay!"

"Great!" Yuki separated from the two, clapping her hands cheerfully.

"Momo-chan will be able to treat us to dinner, Senna-chan!!"

Senna nodded, beaming.

"Thank you, Yuki-chan!!"

"No problem-o, Senna-chan!"

Senna couldn't help but laugh at this seemingly simple statement.

_Yuki-chan... Oh, Yuki-chan..._

She smiled, her golden eyes sparkling.

_You... Your smile is just like..._

"_Senna-chan, come on!!"_

_Just like Retsu-chan's..._

Her eyelids lowered halfway, and she sighed.

_I don't know... whether I should be happy... Or sad..._

She bit her lip, her fists clenched.

_Yuki-chan..._

"Nick-kun, do you think Momo-chan will be mad if I bring Saiki-kun?" Yuki asked, her eyes glittering in expectation.

Nick couldn't help but blush at that.

"Well... It couldn't hope... Besides, Oyajide-baka-san's just going to make Saiki-kun work when he gets back..."

"Anything to stay away from Yuki-chan," Saiki sighed in agreement, folding his arms. "Besides, it just wouldn't be fair to Yuki-chan if..."

"Hey, I know! Let's kidnap him!" Yuki squealed. "A few days... or weeks... That won't kill anybody!"

"I'm not causing unnecessary stress for Onii-chan!!"

"I'm just kidding. I'll call Akatsuki-kun first. He won't mind too much will he...?" Yuki thought for a few moments.

"Yeah, he should be fine. Who knows, maybe he'll use this time to ask out Doremi-chan... And soon enough, we'll be sisters!!"

"You're thinking way too far ahead." Both Saiki and Nick sighed at the same time, shaking their heads.

Yuki blushed at that, and fiddled with her fingers.

"J-Just saying, that's all!"

"Yuki-chan..."

Saiki perked up, glancing back at Senna.

"Hey, Senna-chan?"

Senna instantly perked up, blinking in confusion.

"Um... Yes, Saiki-kun?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"H-Huh?"

Senna blushed, taking a few steps back.

"Me? Uh... Well..."

"_Senna-chan, what are you thinking about?"_

"_Me? Uh... Well..."_

Senna blinked, the blush deepening.

_Yamato-kun asked me that before... Even now, I can't exactly answer that question..._

She shook her head.

_Yamato-kun... I should have answered you then... Damn, I can't even answer you now!!_

Yuki perked up, staring at Senna.

_I wonder if she's thinking about Retsu-chan... Or Yamato-kun..._

"It's nothing important."

Saiki opened his mouth, but Yuki beat him to the point.

"Oh yeah, by the way Senna-chan... You'll LOVE Momo-chan, I can promise you that!"

Senna immediately brightened up.

"Oh? Is Momo-chan a friend?"

"Momoko-chan is actually in a relationship with Nick-kun over here..." Saiki answered, pointing to Nick. "From what I heard, Nick-kun and Yuki-chan are living with her until they're old enough to..."

"As soon as Saiki-kun and I get married, I'm moving in with him!" Yuki stated matter-of-factly.

Saiki just blushed at that, sighing.

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

"Momoko's really nice, you'll love her." Nick smiled, winking. "She's a bit like Retsu-chan as far as I can tell."

Senna's eyes sparkled at this statement.

_No... No one can be more like Retsu-chan than Yuki-chan is... Could they? Who knows?_

She shrugged then.

_Who knows? Who knows?_

"I wonder about that..."

She perked up, running to them.

"Oh, which reminds me... Saiki-kun, did you know about my being the Memory Rosary?"

Saiki perked up at this.

"Oh... Yes, actually."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" she wondered, her fingers twitching.

"I called you 'Kioku-chan' for a reason. But, I figured it didn't mean anything if Yuki-chan or Nick-kun knew..."

He smiled at the two siblings.

"They don't exactly judge someone based on their powers... I was always interested in meeting someone like you, Senna-chan."

Senna just blushed. Yuki blinked, and blushed herself.

"Saiki-kun..."

"Memories are like treasures that just about anyone can get. Best part is, you can go on collecting them without any trouble." Saiki smiled, closing his eyes. "Every memory teaches you something... Gives you something to be happy again... For example."

He held a finger up, winking.

"You were lucky enough to have both Retsu-chan and Yamato-kun enter your life, weren't you? I'm sure they thought the same about you, Senna-chan."

Senna's blush deepened at that.

_Retsu-chan..._

"_I'm glad to know you! Just be happy you have me for now, right? Remember Senna-chan, a smile goes for miles!"_

_Yamato-kun..._

"_Senna-chan, smile. At least you have your memories, right?"_

Her eyes sparkled, and filled with tears.

"T-Thank you... Saiki-kun. Thank you so much!"

"What are you thanking me for?" Saiki sighed. "It's something you already knew, wasn't it?"

Senna just nodded, smiling brightly.

"Wow! I can see why you and Yuki-chan are so close..."

Yuki blushed heavily.

"O-Okay then... L-Let's get going!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

It was nighttime when the four teenagers returned to Momoko's house, and the yellow witch was there to greet them.

"You guys okay?" Momoko immediately asked. "I sensed some wildly fluctuating magical aura earlier..."

"Believe me, Momoko, it's a LONG story," Nick responded.

"Okay, I can live with that," Momoko giggled.

It was then that Momoko noticed the newcomer to the circle of friends.

"Who's the new girl?" Momoko wondered.

"This is Senna," Nick responded. "She's got quite a backstory to her."

Nick looked over towards Senna, only to discover that she was staring at Momoko.

"Nick-kun... you were right... she _is_ like Retsu-chan..." Senna gasped.

This only served to confuse Momoko.

"We'll explain everything when we get inside, okay?" Nick noted. Momoko just nodded.

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"Damn that Waltz," one of the members stated. "He's always getting his behind handed to him by those kids."

"With each day the kids spend in Misora, their powers become stronger. That is why we must destroy them," another member noted.

"We must keep the Memory Rosary alive until the time is nigh when we no longer need her powers," a third member responded.

"We can not do anything about the Memory Rosary right now," their leader stated. "But we may be able to send something down to slow their progress. Senna must not be allowed to reach the height of her powers."

The leader pointed to the skylight. "Dispatch the Kraken to destroy that infernal city."

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"Wow," was pretty much all Momoko could say after Nick had explained Senna's story. "You really had it rough, huh, Senna-chan?"

"It was hard, but my friends helped me through the bad times," Senna stated. "It's nice to have friends, you know?"

Senna giggled before rushing over and embracing Yuki REALLY tight. "Like you, Yuki-chan!! You're so adorable it just makes me wanna hug you!!"

Yuki blushed at this affectionate treatment.

"And Nick-kun," Senna continued. "You're such a handsome boy!! No offense, Momo-chan!"

"None taken," Momoko stated, just shrugging her shoulders.

"It's nice to have people who love and care about you," Senna finished. "It just makes the bad times go away."

Nick nodded, only to be knocked to the floor by a massive rumbling.

"What was that?!" Yuki exclaimed, clinging to her brother's arm.

"I guess movie night's gonna have to wait," Nick responded. "We need to go check this out!!"

Momoko nodded, and all five teenagers rushed out the door and into the city.

Once there, the first thing they saw was people running for their lives.

"Why is everyone so scared?" Yuki wondered.

"Um... I think it's because of THAT!!" Nick responded, pointing towards a building in the distance.

Connected to the two adjacent buildings by a series of large, slimy tentacles, was a gigantic squid creature.

"WAIT. That's the Kraken!!" Saiki exclaimed. "I thought that thing only existed in Greek mythology!!"

"Apparently, the Delegates of Darkness have a lot of tricks up their sleeves," Nick noted. "This brings back memories of when we battled the Ifrit."

"So, how do we stop that thing?" Senna wondered.

"First, we'd better try cutting off those tentacles of his," Nick explained. "That should leave him defenseless, and then we'll finish him off."

"Okay, so how do we start?" Saiki asked.

Almost as if to answer Saiki's question, one of the Kraken's tentacles shot out and grabbed Nick, taking him way high into the air.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

Sure enough, the Kraken brought the tentacle holding Nick right up to its head, staring down its prey.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki shouted again, but Saiki quickly shushed her.

"Wait for it," the wizard proclaimed.

Not wasting any time, Nick disappeared from sight inside the Kraken's twisting tentacle. A split-second later, a bright explosion of gold energy erupted from the tentacle, forcing the Kraken to release Nick, who is revealed to have transformed into his super form.

"WHOA!!!" Senna exclaimed. "How'd he do that?! His hair's all gold and stuff!!!"

"Now things get interesting," Nick proclaimed, holding his hands out and creating whip-like energy blades in both hands.

Charging straight for the Kraken, Nick slashed at the Kraken a few times with his energy blades, then quickly switched over to Hanyou Hikari, and with a spectacular somersaulting attack, sliced straight through the tentacle, causing the severed limb to fall into the ocean.

"Okay, this is working," Nick stated. "Senna-chan!! Yuki-chan!! You're up!!"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Alright! This is where things get interesting!"

Yuki grinned, holding up her fist.

"Senna-chan, watch and learn!"

Senna nodded vigorously at this, eyes sparkling.

"Okay, Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki smiled, forming a battle stance as she held out her hands, gathering up her energy. "Alright..."

_Focus, focus..._

"_Snap, Tobiume!!"_

Senna's eyes went wide with surprise as Tobiume formed in her hands, glowing with a dark purple aura.

Yuki grinned, readying Tobiume. "Alright, let's go for it!!"

"Yuki-chan, be careful!!" Nick couldn't help but exclaim, a bit worried.

"No worries, no worries!!" Yuki exclaimed back, as cheerful as ever.

Saiki had to sigh at this.

_Oh, but Yuki-chan... You saying such things is when I worry the most..._

"Amazing, Yuki-chan! My turn, my turn!!"

Senna raised her hands as well, also glowing.

"_Call forth the twilight!! Mirokumaru!!"_

Within moments, her staff formed, and she struck a pose, winking.

"O-KAY!"

"Amazing... Senna-chan has a weapon like Nick and Yuki-chan..." Momoko started, in awe.

_How cool..._

Saiki just nodded. "Senna-chan's... like that, is all."

"Huh?" the yellow witch gave him a quizzical stare, blinking.

_Is he hiding something?_

"Saiki-kun, you must know a lot about Senna-chan then... Care to explain?"

Saiki frowned.

"In time, Momoko-chan. In time..."

Momoko looked doubtful, but just returned to the battle, sighing.

_Yuki-chan..._

Yuki swung Tobiume, effectively chopping the tentacle, earning the Kraken to roar in agony.

"One down, one down..."

Senna sliced up another, giggling.

"Another down, another down..."

Yuki glanced at Senna, curious.

_Huh... Senna-chan..._

Saiki suddenly perked up.

"_...?!?!_ Yuki-chan, to your left!!"

"_Wha_?!" Yuki quickly turned, batting away a tentacle. "Whoa!!"

_So close!!_

She suddenly realized something.

_Oh, right..._

"Saiki-kun, which way next?"

"Right... Left... Better duck." Saiki smiled. "Count to two."

Yuki nodded, smiling brightly.

"Okay!!"

Senna just looked confused. "Huh...?"

With that, Yuki closed her eyes for about two seconds, and jolted up, dodging a tentacle that was flailed to her right, and slashed her Tobiume through it.

"Right!!"

Another tentacle came to her left, and she performed a side-step to dodge, bringing down Tobiume, severing that one as well.

"Left!!"

Then she ducked in time to dodge a tentacle that swept over her head, swinging Tobiume over, she cut off that one as well.

"Yes!! Now THAT'S the way to go!!"

Senna's eyes went wide in surprise.

_Amazing!! Saiki-kun was right!!_

With that, she flew down and quickly took both of the younger prince's hands.

"How did you DO that, Saiki-kun?! Please, teach me!!" she exclaimed, excited.

Saiki blinked twice, and made a face.

"It's not something you can teach, Senna-chan..."

"Aw come on! You had to have been some sort of fortune teller or something!! You can tell me your secret..."

"Senna-chan, I was born with these abilities. Same with you."

"You were... Oh." She dropped his hands, a little disappointed. "I see..."

"Don't worry, Nick's told me before that he wishes he had Saiki-kun's senses as well." Momoko laughed, waving her hand. "It's only natural to be a little envious."

Saiki blushed at that, huffing.

"Yeah, right."

"Senna-chan!! Get away from Saiki-kun and GET BACK TO HELPING!!" Yuki's voice rang out, clearly annoyed.

Senna quickly perked up.

"Oh, sorry! I'm coming, Yuki-chan!!"

Nick let out a sigh.

"Come on, we're so close already..."

_Just a little bit more..._

"That's a good thing..." Yuki stated before she suddenly flinched.

_Wait a minute..._

She winced, shivering a bit.

_Something's... wrong..._

"Yuki-chan?" Senna wondered, completely confused. "Hey, Yuki-chan?"

_What's wrong with Yuki-chan, what's wrong with her?_

"Yuki-chan?" Nick turned, his eyes wide. "Yuki-chan..."

"Nick...kun..." was all his sister could say before falling to the ground, completely out of it.

"YUKI-CHAN!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

When Nick was able to get a good look, he saw quite a serious wound on Yuki's back, revealing that the Kraken had struck while the black witch's guard was down.

Naturally, this peeved Nick off to no end.

"Look, fish stick, you just made a BIG mistake!!!" Nick exclaimed, Hanyou Hikari glowing brightly. "No one hurts my onee-chan and gets away with it!! YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!!"

Dust and sparkles began to kick up around Nick's glowing weapon.

"_When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!!"_

A massive flash erupted from Nick's weapon, momentarily blinding everyone, including the Kraken.

When the flash of light cleared, Nick's weapon had changed once again, this time with a blade that was similar to Yuki's Tobiume, though it curved outwards towards the bottom, and there were sparkles radiating from the handle as well.

"_Sugoi..."_ Senna stated in awe.

"Indeed. And now, for my next magic trick..." Nick responded, leaping into the air, his new weapon glowing brightly.

Just then, Senna thought of something. "Wait a minute!! How can Nick-kun have TWO final releases for HIS weapon while I only get one?!"

"That's Nick-kun for you," Saiki replied. "Always full of surprises..."

Nick leapt off of one of the remaining tentacles, his new weapon aimed right for the Kraken's face. The sea creature just growled in protest.

"Don't you give me that!! You asked for it, fish stick!! _RAINBOW STRIKE!!!_" Nick exclaimed, his blade glowing with a rainbow light as he slashed multiple times through sensitive flesh, causing the Kraken to scream in agony whenever it was attacked.

"Senna-chan, you may want to cover your eyes," Nick stated. "This next one is NOT going to be pretty."

Senna did as she was instructed, covering her eyes.

Once that was taken care of, Nick hopped off of one of the remaining tentacles, ducked under a swipe from said tentacle, and in a move even Saiki didn't expect, reversed Sekai no Hikari and jammed it straight through the Kraken's head.

Not content with just that, Nick focused his energy into Sekai no Hikari.

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!"_ Nick exclaimed, his weapon releasing a spiral of rainbow energy that literally tore the Kraken apart from the inside.

"That's what you get," Nick taunted once the battlefield was clear. He gracefully returned to ground level, Sekai no Hikari reverting back to his wand.

"Wow, Nick-kun," Saiki admitted. "That last move really surprised me."

"Hey, that fish stick was asking for it, hurting my sister like that," Nick responded.

Walking up to Yuki, Nick held his hands out, which began glowing with a bright light.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

Within a few seconds, the wound on Yuki's back was completely healed.

"Uhh... that was a cheap shot..." Yuki groaned as she stood to her feet, looking a little wobbly.

"Are you all right, Yuki-chan?" Saiki asked, a little concerned.

"She'll be fine," Nick answered. "She's just a little exhausted. That's a common side-effect of my healing spell."

Yuki looked up at the skylight. "Where'd the Kraken go?"

"I basically made calamari out of that fish stick," Nick teased.

"Good for you, Nick-kun."

Yuki quickly leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek.

"Well, let's go home!! The movies are waiting!!" Momoko giggled.

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"THEY DESTROYED THE KRAKEN?!!"

The other members couldn't do much but back away from their enraged master.

"This is getting out of hand," the leader stated. "We must put an end to these brats once and for all."

The other members bowed.

"We are your loyal followers... Master Tabuu."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"I can't believe it... Five minutes into the opening credits and Yuki-chan's out like a light."

Saiki just laughed, running his hand down the black witch's hair.

"That battle must have taken a lot out of her." He smiled, gently kissing the top of her head. Yuki mumbled something unreadable and her arms tightened around her boyfriend's waist.

Senna just watched the sight with starry eyes.

"Yuki-chan's just so cute when she's asleep... Saiki-kun, you're so lucky that she fell asleep in the position... What I wouldn't give!"

"Yuki-chan always looks like an angel when she's sleeping..." Nick just grinned. "I've always loved that about her..."

Saiki just had to nod in agreement before he suddenly perked up.

_Huh...?_

There was a tap at the window.

"Huh? Hey Momoko, what just hit the window?" Nick asked, a bit confused.

Momoko huffed, folding her arms.

"Probably just the neighborhood kids again... They're always throwing rocks at the window."

Saiki blinked, and made a "huh" sound.

_This is weird... It's like a mirror... or..._

He glanced at the window.

_It couldn't be possible..._

There was another tap.

_...Could it?_

Yuki yawned, snapping his attention.

"_My_..." She moaned in her sleep. "_Saiki-kun, we shouldn't... It isn't right..._"

The black witch laughed a bit before snoring again.

Saiki flushed, fingering her cheek.

_What could she possibly be dreaming about? Oh, Yuki-chan..._

There was a third tap at the window.

Nick stood up.

"Okay, kid or no kid, that's just getting annoying."

He walked over to the window, throwing it open.

"Hey!!" he shouted. He caught a glimpse of a figure that freaked, quickly rushing into nearby bushes. "What the heck? Hey, I know you're there!"

The bushes shook a bit, but he got no response. Nick just sighed.

"Alright then..." he muttered, shutting the window again.

The figure looked from the bushes, all features indistinct in the darkness.

"Fail...ure." a voice whispered as navy blue eyes opened, blinking. "How annoying."

Nick sat back down, folding his arms.

"So, who was it?" Momoko asked, curious.

Her boyfriend just shrugged.

"I don't know... But it was definitely a kid."

"A kid?" Saiki seemed a bit surprised. "Really... Is that all you could tell?"

Nick looked at him oddly, but nodded.

"How interesting..." the wizard mused, staring uncertainly at Yuki's still-asleep form.

Senna drooped a bit.

"I'm tired... Hey, can you tell me a bedtime story?" She smiled at Nick, showing a set of white teeth.

Nick just nodded. "Sure... I used to tell Yuki-chan bedtime stories all the time..."

"How about a new story, Nick? Something that's not like a typical fairy tale?" Momoko giggled. "You know one of those... Right?"

Nick just nodded, grinning.

"I think I got just the one. How about a futuristic story?"

Saiki perked up at this. "A story about the future? Fascinating."

"Saiki-kun, you'll love this one. Okay Senna-chan..."

Nick closed his eyes, already in thought. Senna beamed, just excited.

"Right... So... Once upon a time, I guess... In a time very far away from this one..."

Senna nodded, closing her eyes as well.

"Go on..."

"There were two siblings... Kinda like Yuki-chan and I... But different. They were in a war that had lasted over twenty years against a thing called the Subspace army, ruled by an evil man named Tabuu."

Saiki perked up at this.

"Tabuu...?"

Nick nodded, and continued.

"All hope seemed lost, but then, with the help of the past... They were able to overcome the several struggles that came their way..."

"Isn't there any suspense?" Senna asked, looking interested already.

Nick had to laugh.

"Well... Yeah. The children of the siblings. Two girls, one boy... All with very special powers. In fact, one of the girls was killed at an early age, and surprisingly did stuff from the position of a spirit. Apparently, even death didn't stop her from doing whatever she could to help her mother and her brother..."

"What about her brother?" Saiki had to ask, feeling a bit uneasy.

Nick seemed to sigh.

"Her older brother... How should I put it...? He had a rough childhood, with his sister and father both dead... And with him being the splitting image of his dad... Even his mother had a rough time with him... He... didn't exactly choose the best paths."

"Oh no..." Senna whispered, covering her mouth.

"BUT... his friendship with his past mother... With that support, he was able to eventually do the right thing, I suppose... and..."

"Nick-kun."

"What is it Saiki-kun?"

Saiki sighed.

"Nothing... Just... A little strange is all... The story, I mean..."

Nick shrugged, and Momoko smiled.

"Hey, what about the other girl? How about her?"

"Her?" Nick grinned at that. "She had a special ability much like her cousins... She was blessed with something that her mother had passed down... And with that ability, she was very helpful to her future father..."

"Interesting story." Senna noted, smiling brightly. "Can't believe you made all that up."

Nick laughed a bit.

"Actually, Senna-chan..."

"Well, I want another story! Hey Saiki-kun, do you know any stories?"

"Huh?" Saiki chuckled. "Yes... But I don't think you'd want to hear this one..."

"So? Tell me it already!"

"As you wish, Senna-chan." He mused, stroking the top of Yuki's head again. Nick perked up, curious.

"Saiki-kun...?"

Saiki laid back, sighing a bit.

"Once upon a time... There was a world filled with all sorts of magical deities. A world not too different from the Majokai and the Mahoutsukaikai... Like in Nick-kun's story, all of these groups were in a war that had lasted a thousand years... There were groups of all kind... Those who lived in the forests... Those with the control of the water... Those who had reign over the sky..."

Senna's eyes went wide at this.

"There was, however, a special group of people... Well known for their premonition and inner powers... A people meant as tools. It was for control of them, that the war lasted for so long... Eventually, the race soon died out completely... Except for one last prophet."

Saiki's eyes opened, unclear in the darkness.

"Two of the people of the sky were eventually sent scout her out, to their surprise... She was without memory of who she was, or what she was. Seeing this as an advantage, they tricked her, getting her to trust them... Her so very unaware of what was really going on at the time."

Momoko blushed lightly, folding her arms in her lap.

"After a while though, the two began to warm up to the growing prophet. Rather than just using her for their personal gain, she taught them more and more about the world... They opened up to her, and she opened up to them... It wasn't long before they became true friends."

Senna was starting to doze off, her eyelids fluttering.

Saiki finally smiled.

"Despite them betraying her and using her all this time, the prophet finally made the decision to sacrifice herself to stop the war once and for all... The two people of the sky cried out for her loss, and eventually, they were answered by one deity of time, who brought the prophet back. They thanked her for saving them, and apologized for all their wrong-doings... The prophet said nothing to them..."

Nick looked up at this. "And...?"

"Instead, she just smiled at them. From that day forward, they say that you can still feel the kindness the prophet had show the people of the sky... Every time the wind blows... It's always to show that there's someone who cares."

Saiki glanced at Senna, who was now fast asleep, and sighed.

"Where'd you get that story from, Saiki-kun?" Nick asked, laying his head down to rest.

"Funny... I can't even remember." He just shrugged. "Out of one of the many books, I guess... It kinda stuck with me..."

Momoko just nodded. "I see... Sounds great. Anyway, _oyasumi_ minna."

"Oyasumi."

As everyone else had started to fall into a deep sleep, Saiki just sighed, and looked down at Yuki.

"Yuki-chan...?"

"Saiki-kun... Let's name him Satoshi-kun, okay?"

Saiki perked up in surprise.

"Oh... As you wish, Yuki-chan."

Yuki smiled widely in her sleep, curling up against his side.

Her boyfriend turned his glance to the window again and finally just shook his head.

"I wonder..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Movie night was a success, huh?" Momoko giggled as she and Nick slipped into their sleep clothes.

"Definitely worked on Yuki-chan," Nick laughed. "Not even five minutes into the opening and she was out like a light."

"That WAS a big battle we went through," Momoko admitted.

"Yeah, but I made calamari out of that fish stick," Nick teased.

Momoko couldn't help but giggle at that.

Once they were in their night clothes, the two lovers climbed into the bed.

"Say, Nick? Could you tell me a bedtime story, too?"

"Ah, how can I say no to you, Momoko? Just pull the covers up and I'll start the story."

Momoko squealed as she did so. "You know, being under the covers like this is kinda romantic, huh?"

"No kidding," Nick replied. "Okay, here's my story. Saiki-kun's story about that prophet reminded me of another tale I'd heard."

Momoko just nodded, eager for Nick to tell his story.

"Well, the whole thing started about a thousand years ago. There was this prophet who everyone respected. No one really knows his name, but he was revered and respected by all who knew him. Then, a terrible darkness invaded the land, and the prophet made a bold move by taking the darkness into his own body. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the dark energy corrupted him and turned him against the world. He came to be known by the Ancients as Doerai. Eventually, the Ancients had enough of the malice that Doerai was wreaking, and they sealed him away in the darkest depths of the world's core so that he could never return to spread his evil."

"But he returned a long time later, didn't he?" Momoko asked, still in awe.

Nick nodded. "You catch on quick. It happened back in the modern day, and the trouble began with a boy and his girlfriend, sorta like you and me. They were just spending time with each other when one of Doerai's lackeys murdered the boy's girlfriend. Believe me, Momoko, he was devastated. Things only got worse, as one by one, Doerai's lackey continued to slaughter all of his friends. By the time they discovered what was going on, there were only four people left in this little circle."

"That's so sad," Momoko noted.

"Apparently, Doerai knew that the boy was, unbeknownst to him, the reincarnation of one of the very light prophets that stood against Doerai all those years ago. So, Doerai thought that if he took away everything he cared about, he would lose the will to fight and the dark prophet could just swoop in and take over everything. But there was one little factor that Doerai didn't count on."

"Which was?"

"There was this girl in the boy's class. Shy thing, but very nice. The boy ended up spending so much time with her after his girlfriend died... that the two ended up falling in love."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She had some incredible powers of her own, apparently. After she helped the boy regain his confidence, they began to fight back against Doerai and his lackeys. It all culminated in Doerai's dark realm. The other two girls that were left were also there. Though they didn't really have any powers of their own, they were close friends with the two and wanted to help however they could. It was quite the fierce battle. The boy nearly lost his new girlfriend, but she was able to help the boy corner Doerai. When the dark prophet started fighting back, it turned out that he'd been holding back his true power the whole time. It looked like it was gonna be game over for them."

"What happened next?"

"You're not gonna believe this, Momoko. All of the boy's deceased friends came back as spirits to give him some amazing power, and with that power, he finished off Doerai. Turns out this story had a happy ending after all... or so they thought."

"There's more?"

"Yeah. Turns out the story didn't end with Doerai's defeat. Three months after Doerai was defeated, the four kids were propelled three years into the future by an unknown source. When they got there, the daughter of the boy and his girlfriend informed them that somehow, someway, Doerai was still alive."

"Whoa. That's freaky."

"Not as freaky as what I'm about to say. As the four teenagers continued exploring this desolate and broken world, they crossed paths with this girl everyone just called 'mistress'. Turns out that she was the one who revived Doerai."

"You sure? Wasn't she friends with the kids?"

"It's not what you think," Nick continued as he pulled the covers over their heads, only adding to the romantic setting while still adding a bit of dramatic effect to Nick's story. "You see, she always carried this mythical talking tanuki with her, but in reality, this tanuki was actually her human lover. He had been cursed by his family when he was caught getting, um... _intimate_ with the mistress. The reason she freed Doerai was because he'd tricked her into believing that he could return the tanuki back to his true self if she set him free. Naturally, Doerai betrayed her the instant he was free and spread his darkness across the land."

"She must have been pissed off, huh?"

"No lie. So, after she'd been betrayed again, she decided to join the city's resistance movement. This all happened about two years before the kids were sent to that future. As they all continued through this world, the boy and his girlfriend, along with the other two girls, eventually crossed paths with the Destroyer, an ancient being that was believed to bring about the birth of a new world by issuing the destruction of this one. Now comes the shocking part: the two girls actually sacrificed their lives to get the boy and his girlfriend to Doerai's lair. It was one hell of a final battle, but what surprised me the most was that the two girls who sacrificed their lives actually came back. It turns out that one of the girl's boyfriends managed to find a way to bring them back to life. It was a hard fight, but together, they managed to destroy Doerai for good this time."

"What happened to the kids?"

"They managed to get back to their own time. The boy ended up proposing to his girlfriend. His old girlfriend actually once told him that as long as he was happy, she would be, too. And they lived, more or less, happily ever after..."

"Ah, that was a great story, Nick..." Momoko sighed, snuggling close to Nick. "Say... would you propose to me someday?"

"Would you say yes if I did?" Nick answered.

"I suppose I would," Momoko responded.

"Someday, it'll happen, Momoko. Let's wait a bit, though, okay?"

Momoko nodded. "I can live with that."

"_Oyasumi nasai,_ Momoko. I love you."

"I love you, too, Nick."

And with that, the two lovers fell asleep. Unbeknownst to them, the same mystery kid from before was watching them.

"Just as expected."


	2. Act 2: Rosary of Tragedy

Act 2: Rosary of Tragedy

Akemi Suzuki looked at the door of the Asuka household. "I hope she's home..."

Akemi peered through the window, noticing that Yuki and Saiki were asleep in each other's arms on the couch. The crystal witch couldn't help but laugh softly at that.

"Ah, good old Yuki-chan," Akemi stated. She was about to walk away when Senna appeared in the now-open doorway.

"_Ohayou!!_" Senna exclaimed.

"_Ohayou_, miss, um..." Akemi stuttered.

"Senna," was the response Akemi got.

"Senna-chan, then," Akemi answered. "Is Yuki-chan awake?"

"Nah. She and Saiki-kun are passed out right now. Nick-kun and Momo-chan are upstairs doing pretty much the same thing. You can come in if you want!"

"Um... okay," Akemi responded, stepping into the Asuka house.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"So... Ah... When did Nick-kun and Yuki-chan find you?" Akemi asked in her usual volume, barely above a whisper.

"They didn't. Saiki-kun found me, Yuki-chan and Nick found him and me, and I right away noticed how adorable Yuki-chan was!! She reminded me of Retsu-chan!!"

Akemi opened her mouth to ask who Retsu was but just shook her head.

"Oh... How interesting."

"Now tell me your story, miss!" Senna exclaimed, beaming brightly. "You sure are pretty, not adorable like Yuki-chan, but really, _really_ pretty!"

Akemi blushed darkly at that.

"Gee... Thanks." She gulped, fiddling with her fingers as she began stammering.

"Um... I'm Suzuki Akemi... And... I... Um... Well..."

"How'd you meet Yuki-chan and Nick?"

"Well, that is... Uh..."

"Did you know them for long?" Senna asked again, eyes wide with excitement.

"Eeto..."

"What's their favorite food?"

"I think it's..."

"Their favorite drink?"

"I'm pretty sure that..."

"How about movie?"

"I don't really..."

"Isn't Yuki-chan adorable?"

"DARN IT SENNA-CHAN, WILL YOU LISTEN!!" Akemi screamed, having completely lost it.

Senna's eyes were just wide with surprise.

"Akemi-chan..."

That's when Akemi snapped out of it, her eyes filling with tears.

"O-Oh... I... I'm sorry... I just lost control for a minute... I'm really, really sorry." She quickly bowed, blushing quite darkly.

"S-Sorry..."

Senna looked confused for a few minutes before smiling brightly.

"You're so cute!!"

"Huh?"

Akemi looked up, blushing so hard she probably looked like a tomato.

"S-Senna-chan?"

"Just saying!" Senna patted the crystal witch's shoulder, earning a light yelp.

"Come on, let's go see them!"

"W-Wait, S-S-_Senna-chan_!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Up, up, whoa!!"

The figure from earlier could be seen jumping on top of a wall, pulling down the cap covering its head.

"Those two always looking so peaceful... It really makes me sick."

The navy eyes opened again, darting straight ahead as the figure took off into the darkness.

A smile slipped across the face.

"I'll surprise them... I'll surprise them for sure."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Akemi blinked as Senna gestured to Yuki's still-asleep form, still wrapped in Saiki's arms. She seemed perfectly content in her position.

Senna giggled at the sight.

"Lucky, lucky Saiki-kun..."

Akemi gulped, blushing a light shade of pink.

"I-I really don't want to disturb either of them..." she whispered lightly. "Maybe I should come back when they're awake... Ah..."

Senna gave her a good shove.

"Well, whatta ya waiting for, Akemi-chan?! Go surprise them! Waking up Saiki-kun is a piece of cake, but Yuki-chan sleeps like a rock! Good luck!!"

"B-But Senna-chan..."

"Will you two shut up?"

"Eh?" The two girls looked startled when Yuki opened her eyes, looking annoyed.

"Y-Yuki-chan... You're awake..." Akemi and Senna whispered at the same time, both clearly surprised.

Yuki huffed at that.

"Just when Saiki-kun finally fell asleep, too! Now without a doubt, he'll wake up for sure!"

"I was awake the second Akemi-chan stepped up, Yuki-chan." Saiki muttered, his eyes opening.

"Huh? _AKEMI-CHAN_!!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry!!" Akemi apologized, bowing. "I'm really, really sorry!!"

"It's not her fault, Yuki-chan..." Saiki murmured, stroking Yuki's cheek in an attempt to calm her down. "Don't apologize so much, Akemi-chan."

Akemi had to blush at that, stiffening her pose as she kept her head bowed in embarrassment and shyness.

"Nick-kun and Momo-chan are still asleep, aren't they?"

"Nothing wakes them up." Saiki and Yuki said at the same time, laughing a bit.

"Oh... That's a relief!!" Akemi laughed herself, her voice thick with concern. "I-I mean..."

"Yuki-chan, let Akemi-chan stay here, too~! She's too cute to pass up!" Senna purred, cat-like eyes glittering in expectation.

Yuki giggled.

"Sure. The more the merrier, Akemi-chan! And with her delicate touch, this place will be that much better."

Akemi flustered.

"Y-Yuki-chan..."

Yuki beamed, pecking Saiki's cheek before she got up and stretched.

"You want me to pounce on Nick-kun and tell him?"

"N-No, that's not necessary, Yuki-chan!!" Akemi sputtered, blushing darkly.

"Aw... Which reminds me, where's Moriko-chan?"

"Moriko-chan?" Senna echoed, a bit confused.

Akemi just blushed at the mention of her childhood friend's name.

"S-She's out... We'll see her soon enough."

"Not like Moriko-chan to leave you alone, Akemi-chan," Saiki noted, eyes alit with curiosity.

Akemi let out a shaky laugh.

"Yeah... I know."

Senna blinked, and just began thinking.

"Huh..."

_I wonder if Moriko-chan's pretty like Akemi-chan is..._

"Well..." Akemi gave one last wave. "I... I'm tired so night. See you in the morning."

"Got it, morning!" Yuki exclaimed cheerfully, sitting back down beside her boyfriend. She turned to him, and smiled brightly.

"Sweet dreams, Saiki-kun."

Saiki blushed a bit, and nodded. Yuki laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she went back to resting.

The younger prince sighed and closed his eyes as well.

"Sweet dreams, Yuki-chan."

Senna beamed and sat down to curl up into a ball for a few seconds before her eyes popped open wide.

"Wait a minute, how come I get no sweet dreams?!"

"Sweet dreams, Senna-chan." The couple muttered in unison, sweatdropping as they tried to get back to sleep.

Senna just smiled, closing her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, you two."

_That's better._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"This is getting annoying," Tabuu stated, his wings flapping at intervals. "Our agent has not reported in yet."

"He likes to take his time," one of the members responded. "You know that, Master."

"We need more time," another member noted. "The Memory Rosary has not reached the height of her powers yet. It would not be wise to kidnap her before it is time."

"Must we force her to reach her complete power?" a third member stated.

"There is no need for that," Tabuu responded. "We can take our time. For now, dispatch the Ifrit Golem and crush those insolent Ojamajos. They must not be a nuisance any longer."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

That morning, everyone was still out like a light, not knowing they were being watched.

"They are getting stronger with each new day. Perhaps I should test them when the time is right."

Up in Momoko's room, said yellow witch and her boyfriend were just stirring from a good night's sleep.

"Ah, that was a wonderful sleep. We've gotta tell each other bedtime stories more often," Momoko giggled.

"I'll be sure to remember that," Nick responded.

"Why don't we head downstairs and make some breakfast?" Momoko asked.

"Good idea," Nick noted. "I don't think I can take my stomach's rumbling for much longer..."

Momoko giggled at that.

As the two stepped downstairs, the first thing they noticed was that Akemi was asleep on the couch.

"Wonder when she came over?" Momoko wondered.

"I'm more surprised that Mori-chan wasn't with her," Nick responded. "Ever since that incident with the Sand Scorpion, she's been tailing Akemi-chan pretty much twenty-four hours a day."

Momoko just shrugged her shoulders and continued towards the kitchen. Nick was about to do the same, when a cute yawn caught his attention. He turned around and noticed that Akemi had just woken up.

"Good morning, Nick-kun," Akemi stated, blushing lightly. Having spent more time around Nick lately, she wasn't as shy around him as she used to be.

"Morning, Akemi-chan," Nick responded. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"No, it's okay," Akemi noted. "I didn't get much sleep last night, anyway. Moriko-chan was being a little hyper."

"REALLY?" Nick wondered.

"Believe me, Nick-kun, Moriko-chan plus a birthday party equals no WAY was I getting any sleep over there," Akemi giggled.

"I see..." Nick noted.

Just then, a massive rumbling shook the entire surrounding area, forcing Yuki, Saiki, and Senna out of their slumber.

"What was that?" Senna asked, still half-asleep.

Nick was the first to dash to the window, and noticed a very familiar-looking robot creature stomping through the town.

"Oh, no... don't tell me..." Nick groaned as he flashed back to his adventure in the future not too long ago...

(flashback)

_Mind made up, Nick quickly searched, eventually seeing one soft-looking piece on iron on that thing's, possibly neck._

"_Bingo! Diamond Tempest!!"_

_Striking its presumed weak spot, the monster let out a painful roar as it came down. Some actually looked surprised._

"_I-Is it...?" Onpu questioned, still not able to believe what she was seeing. "Is it actually dead...?"_

"_I hope so..." Akemi replied, letting her shoulders drooped._

_Nick wiped off his forehead, sighing. He quickly flinched when he noticed the Golem getting up slowly._

"_Aw man, doesn't this thing ever give up?!"_

"_Apparently it's stubborn... like you," Moriko stated, folding her arms. "Baka, did you really expect it to be that easy?" Both Nick and his future self blushed at that._

"_Oooo, I was so sure it was down for the count, too!" Yuki exclaimed, annoyed. "NICK-KUN!!! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!!! GANBATTE, GANBATTE!!!!"_

_Nick had to crack a smile and held up a thumb. "I'll be sure to, Yuki-chan!" Turning his attention back to the Golem, he took caution._

_Okay... How do I defeat this thing? Keep hitting its weak point till it falls for good?_

_He looked at Golem again, searching for its weak point, and once again jumping up and bringing Hikari down upon it._

"_Take THIS!!!"_

_The Golem staggered back, but continued. "Alright, so you are stubborn..." Nick admitted, raising Hikari._

"_DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!"_

_Not taking anymore chances, he jammed Hikari into the Ifrit Golem's weak point, and it let out a roar before falling to the ground and exploding in a bright white light._

(end flashback)

"Wait!! Nick-kun, is that...?" Yuki wondered.

"No question. We'd better scoot!! Come on, everybody!!" Nick exclaimed.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"How did the Golem come back in the first place, isn't it oh... I don't know... 30 YEARS BEFORE HIS TIME?!?!"

"I don't know either Yuki-chan, but there's not a single doubt about it..."

Yuki sighed, folding her arms.

"I guess... You beat him once... You can do it again, can't you?"

Nick smiled, and nodded.

"Of course, Yuki-chan."

"Well, that's something to be relieved about then, I guess!!" she exclaimed, holding up her fists.

"Doing something twice is boring... So let's try something else!"

This confused her older brother.

"Really? Like what, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki just grinned.

"Well..."

"Ooh, ooh! Yuki-chan! Pick me! Pick me!" Senna exclaimed, waving her hand like crazy.

The black witch sweated a bit, confused.

"Um... Senna-chan?"

Senna held up a hand, and grinned.

"Happy to help!"

Akemi perked up and smiled.

"I'll... I'll help too!"

Momoko smiled as well.

"No way am I letting Nick handle this alone, so of course."

"Saiki-kun, we're going to need your fortune teller abilities!!" Yuki exclaimed, hopping up to her boyfriend.

"Do you sense any weak points?"

"Weak points..." Saiki mused, closing his eyes to focus for a few minutes. "Yes... There's three... The left knee joint is slightly rough, but in weaker condition than the other... There's a soft piece of metal used on its skull... So I suggest busting that thing open."

"And..."

"A soft spot on its neck. That should be all."

Yuki's eyes went wide.

"So in the future, it's the same... But now we got two more weak spots! That's great! Nick-kun will go for the head, I'll attack the neck, and Senna-chan gets the weak knee joint!"

"What about me and Akemi-chan?" Momoko asked just as Akemi opened her mouth, making the crystal witch blush.

"How about you two distract the thing so we can get close? That'll make it of so much easier, right?"

"I-I guess..." Akemi stuttered a bit, blushing.

"Great!!"

Nick just smiled at that.

"Right, let's move out."

The girls nodded, and they quickly vanished, making Saiki instantly perk up.

_What...?_

He looked over, curious.

_What was that?_

His attention was snapped when Yuki patted his cheek. He quickly looked at her.

"Yuki-chan..."

Yuki pouted a bit, her lips puffed out.

"Saiki-kun, look more confident. It's not easy to defeat the enemy while I'm busy freaking out about you looking like that."

Saiki's eyes went wide and he blushed, nodding.

"Right..."

Yuki smiled.

"Tell you what. Talk to me when this is all done, mmkay?"

"Okay. Whatever you want, Yuki-chan."

The black witch grinned and gave him one last wave before flying up into the sky on her broom.

Saiki's smile soon vanished.

_I wonder... Is Yuki-chan going to be alright? I sure hope so._

"Hey, over here!!" Momoko called out in English, waving her hand. "Over here, over here!!"

"Will that really work, Momo-chan?" Akemi asked, only for the Golem to roar, facing the two witches.

"Oh... Guess it worked."

"Now, Akemi-chan!"

Akemi quickly nodded.

"Okay!"

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

"_The gracefulness of a girl who can dream, take this!! Ojamajo Aura Star!!"_

The Golem roared in agony as Akemi's attack froze it in place, taking a lot of damage from Momoko's attack.

"Now!!"

"Got it!!" Senna exclaimed, driving her staff deep within the Golem's weakened knee-joint, earning another painful roar.

"Yuki-chan!!"

"Okay, okay!!" the black witch exclaimed, summoning Tobiume to slice the soft neck piece, paralyzing the creature.

"Now, Nick-kun!!"

Nick nodded, bringing down Hikari on the Golem's head. They quickly flew to the ground, watching it collapse.

"Too easy." Yuki muttered, shaking her head. "How BORING."

"Oh, Yuki-chan..." Nick started before he heard rumbling. Turning to the Golem, his eyes went wide at the sight of it trying to raise itself from the ground.

"Stubborn little..."

"Oh no you don't!!" a voice rang out, surprising everyone. Out of nowhere, a dark stream of energy shot out, wrapping around the Golem's neck, snapping the head off.

"No way!!" Senna exclaimed, clearly shocked. "Who DID that?!"

"I hate it when stupid people ruin my surprises..." the voice muttered as the same mystery kid from earlier walked up.

The head fell from the Golem, and he soon turned to dust, much to the new arrival's dismay.

"Oh... GREAT!!"

As if on cue, Saiki sneezed, coughing a bit.

"Saiki-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, quickly at his side, rubbing his back in an attempt to clear his senses.

A smile then flickered across the figure's face.

"Now that's good... I'm glad..."

"Um..." Nick started. "Who... Are you?"

His eyes scanned the new arrival. By the sound of the voice, it was definitely a girl... But by looking at her, it was nearly impossible to tell. She was much younger than Nick and the others, only a tender age of twelve. Her attire was rather odd, as she wore a white cap to conceal all her hair as well her features. She wore a long sleeved blue sweater with a pair of jeans and black tennis shoes. She then looked up, revealing her bright navy blue eyes which seemed to sparkle for some reason.

"You really don't know? Of course... That would be understandable..."

Saiki pursued his lips in thought.

_There's some familiar energy coming from her... I wasn't imagining it? Who is she? She... She reminds me of Yuki-chan._

"Who are you?" Momoko asked again. "Thank you for helping us, but where did you get that power kid?"

And just like that, the 'kid' snapped.

"DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE I LOOK YOUNG THAT I'M A KID! I'll have you know, I know a lot of useful things! I can sew, I can cook, I can even play the koto, so DON'T say I'm just a child! I'm even better than a land guide! I'm practically an adult in a kid's body!"

Senna clapped. "How impressive!!"

Saiki had to laugh at that, confusing them.

"Saiki-kun, what's so funny?"

"That's exactly how _I_ would react... Sort of. Isn't that interesting?" He smiled. "Well then, I guess you are a mature one."

The mystery girl seemed pleased at that, like she was commended.

Nick looked at her more carefully.

"But seriously... Who are you?"

She stared at him helplessly.

"Is that really the way to talk to a pretty lady?"

Nick's eyes widened at that statement.

_Wait a minute..._

"Anyway, I'll give you a hint!!"

And with that she rushed up to Saiki, confusing him.

"Um... Yes?" was all he could get out before she embraced him, shocking everyone again, ESPECIALLY Yuki.

"Otou-chan..." she purred, rubbing her cheek against him. "You look so handsome and young... I'm so happy! You look just like onii-chan does, too! All those wonderful surprises!"

"O-_Otou-chan_?" Saiki repeated, completely confused.

Yuki took an uneasy step forward.

"W-Wait a minute..."

The girl look a step back, and took off her cap, letting long black hair fall to her waist, splitting into two parts like ponytails. Nick gasped.

"You're..."

"Shidoosha Mana, at your service. I'm the daughter of both Shidoosha Saiki-kun and Shinoya Yuki-chan." She winked at the group.

"Pleased to meet you!!"

"WOW! Another Yuki-chan!!" Senna exclaimed, while everyone else's jaws dropped.

"_WHAAAAT_?!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Wait, wait. Wait just a damn minute!!" Nick exclaimed, still trying to wrap his head around this. "How'd you get here, Mana-chan? We thought you were..."

"Since you guys changed the future, I was brought back to life!!" Mana giggled.

Suddenly, something clicked in Senna's mind. "So... that story you told me... that actually happened?"

"It was about two years ago," Nick explained. "Yuki-chan and I got called by our future selves to help turn the tide on that war with the Subspace Army."

Suddenly, Nick remembered something of his own. "Wait. Did the Ifrit Golem somehow come back or something? I'm pretty sure we destroyed him back in that future!!"

Mana just shrugged her shoulders. "I really have no idea how he's even here anyway..."

"What I'D like to know is why you're here, Mana-chan," Yuki wondered.

"Our parents back home sensed something was wrong back here, so they sent us back to investigate," Mana explained.

"Wait... did you say 'us'?" Yuki asked.

Just then, they heard it.

"MANA-CHAN!!!"

"HEY, MANA-CHAN, GET BACK HERE!!!"

Before the others could spin around, two other kids around Mana's age had rushed up to the scene. The boy was pretty much the spitting image of Saiki, only with brown eyes instead of Saiki's coal black. The girl had long brown hair tied into two ponytails and deep green eyes that resembled Momoko's.

"Mana-chan, what have I told you about running off like that?" the boy answered. "Sakura-chan and I were so worried!!"

"We're just glad you're okay, Mana-chan," Sakura answered. "This is a dangerous place, what with everything that's been going on."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I had to find out why the Ifrit Golem was running rampant around the city," Mana answered. "You're not mad at me, are you, Satoshi-kun?"

"Of course not, Mana-chan," Satoshi answered. "We're just worried about you, is all."

Saiki looked on in pure disbelief, blushing like mad.

"Is... that... my...?"

Satoshi smiled a bit. "Yep. Otou-san was a little more surprised than I thought he'd be."

"HI, OKAA-SAMA!!!" Sakura exclaimed, latching her arms around Momoko's waist.

"Uh..." Momoko asked.

"Momoko, this is our future daughter, Sakura," Nick introduced.

Momoko blushed heavily at this. _So we did..._

"And this is my older brother, Satoshi-kun!!" Mana exclaimed.

"You don't have to get so excited, Mana-chan..." Satoshi groaned, sweatdropping.

"Basically, we came back from our time when our parents noticed that something was going on in this timeline," Satoshi explained. "It all started around two days ago..."

"That was when the Sand Scorpion came back, wasn't it?" Nick wondered.

Satoshi nodded. "I have no idea how the Four Heavenly Kings have returned..."

"Make that three," Nick cut in. "Yuki-chan and I took care of Gargos a LONG time ago. Two of them are already long gone."

"Wow," Satoshi stated. "You two really have gotten so much stronger since the last we met, huh?"

Sakura looked over at Akemi. "Wow!! I can't believe I'm looking at the real Suzuki Akemi-chan!!"

Sakura rushed up and hugged Akemi tightly. "Oh, my gosh!!! I'm such a big fan of your songs!!"

This caused Akemi to blush like mad. "Songs?"

"You're actually gonna be a famous pop singer in the future the kids came from," Yuki explained.

"Oh..."

"HEY!!!! YOU GET AWAY FROM MY AKEMI-CHAN!!!"

Everyone spun around at this. Standing near the group was a VERY pissed off Moriko Takahashi.

"Who do you think you are, just trying to snuggle against my Akemi-chan like that?!" Moriko exclaimed, her fists shivering.

"Uh-oh," Nick groaned.

"What's the matter?" Senna wondered, looking at Moriko. "She looks really cute..."

"Yeah, she may be cute, but when Mori-chan gets mad, you'd better be careful," Nick explained, tensing himself up for whatever Moriko was about to do.

A little confused, Sakura released Akemi and walked up to Moriko.

"Ah, Takahashi-san!! You look so cute even now!!" Sakura giggled...

...and was promptly slapped in the face by Moriko, sending the younger girl into a tailspin.

"Don't you DARE harass my Akemi-chan," Moriko growled.

Nick tried REALLY hard to resist the urge to punch the jade witch, but what he had just seen was really starting to get to him.

"Hey, Takahashi-san, what's the matter? You weren't like this before..." Sakura wondered, rubbing her stinging cheek.

"I saw what you were doing to my Akemi-chan," Moriko shot back. "No one messes with my Akemi-chan without paying the price!!"

Before Sakura could react, Moriko slapped her again, and with that, Nick couldn't hold it anymore. He walked up and knocked Moriko to the ground with a swift punch.

"NICK-KUN, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!!" Moriko screamed.

Nick quickly wrapped his arms around Sakura, holding his future daughter close to him. "What do you THINK, Mori-chan? That was my DAUGHTER you just slugged!!!"

At this, Moriko's anger seemed to instantly fade away, replaced with a look of surprise. "What...? Daughter?"

Before Moriko could say anything else, Akemi rushed into her arms, unable to take anymore.

"A-Akemi-chan?"

"Moriko-chan... please... please stop... this isn't like you..." Akemi cried, her tears threatening to spill out.

The last of Moriko's anger towards Sakura faded away at this as she returned Akemi's embrace.

"_Gomen-nasai,_ Akemi-chan. You know I love you, and I just got worried when I saw you like that..." Moriko admitted.

Akemi couldn't really say anything to that, just tightening the embrace.

Moriko leaned forward and kissed Akemi on the cheek. "I love you, Akemi-chan. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I love you, too, Moriko-chan."

"That's my girl."

Moriko then looked up at Nick. "Yeah, sorry about that, Nick-kun. You're not mad, are you?"

"Ah, you know me, Mori-chan. Bad feelings towards friends go as quick as they come when it's me we're talking about," Nick responded, causing Sakura to giggle.

"So, is that really your daughter?" Moriko asked.

"Yep, she is. Why don't you come on inside? We'll explain everything there."

"Whoa," Satoshi stated. "That was interesting..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"So... Why are you two here with Sakura-chan in the first place?"

Satoshi sighed.

"Even as a child... You pay little attention, Yuki-chan."

Yuki blushed at that, adjusting her seat. Mana just huffed.

"Onii-chan, you should be the one to talk. You get lost every single time you step away from home..."

"Not every single time..." her brother groaned, clearly too crushed to argue. His sister giggled.

"That's why we all love you."

Saiki had to smile at that.

_Good thing knowing our children will turn out well... Huh..._

"Hey Yuki-chan...?"

"Yes?"

Yuki turned to him, blinking as innocently as possible. Saiki just paused, bowing his head.

"No, it's nothing."

_I wonder if what she said earlier in her sleep... Satoshi-kun... Hmm..._

"Okay, so here's our question of the day." Senna stated, raising her hand. "Where did you three come from?"

"I thought we already explained that..." Satoshi murmured before looking confused. "Hey wait a minute, who are you anyway?"

"I'm Senna! You look like Saiki-kun... And Mana-chan is like Yuki-chan, super adorable!!"

The two siblings looked at each other.

"Satoshi-kun has _okaa-chan_'s eyes," Mana pointed out, patting his shoulder. "But he's also..."

"Mana-chan." He interrupted, glaring at her to make her quickly shut her mouth.

"N-Never mind."

Yuki and Saiki looked confused at this, but Moriko cleared her throat.

"Right, so let's get to business. Can you give us details what's going on?"

"Moriko-san, that's my line..." Satoshi muttered, sighing. "We're the confused ones... I am anyway... Though... There is one thing I'm sure about."

"What would that be?" Nick asked, already getting uneasy.

"Tabuu. He's here."

Nick and Yuki gasped at this.

"Wait? Really?"

"It's the truth, okaa-san... There's no doubt. I'd recognize him anywhere. My senses aren't anything like otou-san's... But..."

Saiki frowned at this, and blushed a bit.

"But I'm sure."

Satoshi frowned himself, like he was upset about something. This was when Senna realized something.

"So... If that story Nick told us was true... What happened to you, Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi bowed his head, letting his hair fall over his eyes.

"Even if that history was erased... It's hard to forget. I've done things I'm not exactly proud of." He whispered quietly, clenching his fists.

Saiki's eyes widened.

"Satoshi-kun..."

"Otou-san, you're not going to like this. Believe it or not, I've actually been capable of some horrible things... I've lied, stolen, coveted, and even killed... Worst of all, I hurt okaa-san so much that I was disgusted with myself..." He shook his head, as if trying to clear the memories.

"Even now... I can't atone for the things that I did in that time..."

"Onii-chan..." Mana started, clearly worried for her brother's sake.

Satoshi finally looked up, examining Saiki's clearly upset expression, like _he_ was the one who done those things.

"Otou-san, you weren't even there. Don't blame yourself."

"I'm sorry, Saiki-kun." Yuki murmured. "Satoshi-kun is actually my mistake."

Saiki just sighed.

"Yeah... Not the best thing I could hear as a future dad..."

Mana suddenly blushed like crazy.

_I guess it's true what otou-chan once said... When you have someone you want to take care of, you become more mature... You turn into... A wonderful person._

She smiled.

_It's happened so soon... Oh, otou-chan..._

Akemi blinked, perking up.

"So... What is all this, basically?"

"Tabuu... Is he bad, Nick?" Momoko asked, confused. Nick nodded.

"Yes... He is... You and Saiki-kun were both... N-Never mind."

Moriko huffed.

"Nick-kun... What is he?"

"No one's sure, Moriko-san... All I know is the power he's capable of..." Satoshi shook his head. "But he's more powerful... If that was possible..."

"Oh, right... You were his apprentice, weren't you Satoshi-kun?" Yuki asked, making Saiki perk up again, surprised.

Satoshi gave a sad smile as a reply, and nodded.

"Another thing to be disappointed for... Huh, otou-chan?"

Saiki looked down.

"Satoshi-kun..."

"Anyway, since I'm still touchy about everything..." Satoshi stood up, taking Yuki's hand.

"Yuki-chan, looks like we'll be together again."

Yuki just smiled.

"Aw, Satoshi-kun..."

Moriko suddenly frowned and got up herself.

"Akemi-chan, come with me."

"Huh? Oh... Okay." Akemi stood up, following after the jade witch.

"Nick-kun, we're going to investigate."

"Wait... Mori-chan?"

"Nick-kun... I need to say one last thing to Satoshi-kun."

"Huh?"

All stared at Satoshi as Moriko turned on him, her expression cold.

"Stay away from Tabuu. If you know what's good for you."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Everyone was confused by Moriko's statement.

"What... do you mean, Moriko-san?" Satoshi asked.

"I mean exactly what I said. Stay away from Tabuu. If he really has returned, he's probably going to be gunning for you and Mana-chan first. Evil freaks like him don't forget when their apprentices betray them. We can't afford to lose you, now, can we?"

"Good point," Satoshi noted.

"Hey, don't leave me out of the fight!!" Sakura exclaimed. "I want to help my okaa-sama and otou-san, too!! NO WAY are you leaving me on the sidelines!!"

"Sakura-chan, what did I just say to Satoshi-kun?" Moriko shot back.

"Just let it go, Mori-chan," Nick responded. "She got her stubborn nature from me. Once she's set her mind to something, she won't listen to reason. She's gonna do it, no matter what anyone else says."

"Whatever," Moriko responded.

With that, everyone present rushed out the door.

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"Stop!!" Satoshi exclaimed. "He's here..."

Nick just brandished Hanyou Hikari, ready for battle. "Just like Tabuu to come and find us instead of letting us find him."

Nick began searching around, trying to pinpoint Tabuu, when all of a sudden, he was struck in the back by a series of red energy rings.

"NICK-KUN!!!!" Yuki screamed, knowing what those energy rings had done to Nick the last time they'd faced Tabuu. However, she calmed down a bit when she saw Nick stand up, though he staggered a bit from the damage taken.

"Cheap shot, buddy," Nick growled, shaking off the hit and turning around. There was Tabuu, his luminescent wings spread out.

"Impressive, boy," Tabuu remarked. "No one but you has ever survived my Off Waves before."

"It's been two years, Tabuu," Nick shot right back. "We've all gotten quite a bit stronger since the last time."

"I see," Tabuu noted. "Well, so have I."

Not wasting any time, Tabuu spread his wings and fired off a volley of dark energy blasts.

Nick was over there in a flash, his hands raised.

"_Santen kesshun!! I reject!!"_

Responding to that call, a brilliant shield of light sprang up around Nick and the others, protecting them from Tabuu's attack.

"I see you still have your old skills," Tabuu commented.

"Indeed. But I've learned some new tricks, too," Nick responded, bringing out the seven Majokai Crystals and absorbing them into himself, using the energy to transform into his super form.

"Show me what you can do," Tabuu commented.

"Just remember, glow boy: you asked for it!!" Nick shot back, charging forward and striking Tabuu in the chest, forcing the neon god a few feet back.

"Now eat this!! _Speed Break!!_"

With that, Nick was surrounded by an orange aura as he charged forward at superluminal speeds, striking at Tabuu with each pass.

"WOW!!! Look at Nick-kun go!!" Senna exclaimed, trying in vain to keep up with the speeding Nick. "I can't even keep my eyes on him!!"

Nick made one more strike at Tabuu before retreating a few feet away, holding his hands towards Tabuu.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The emerald beam struck Tabuu in the face, knocking him back.

"Insolent boy," Tabuu growled. "I've had about enough of you."

Just then, Tabuu turned towards Senna, who, for some reason, began glowing with a bright red light.

"Memory Rosary," Tabuu stated. "You have now reached the height of your powers. Now, I will acquire that power."

Senna just smirked, bringing out her staff.

"_Call forth the twilight!! Mirokumaru!!"_

Once her weapon was summoned, Senna held it out in a fighting stance.

"Give me your power, Memory Rosary," Tabuu firmly stated.

Senna feverishly shook her head.

"You can go straight to hell."

With that, Senna reversed Mirokumaru, held it into the air...

...and thrust it straight into her chest, drawing a chorus of shocked screams from everyone present.

"SENNA-CHAN!!!!!" Yuki screamed, rushing up to Senna as she fell to her knees, Mirokumaru extracting itself from her chest.

Tabuu cursed. "Just when I was so close..."

Tabuu disappeared after that.

"Senna-chan!! NO!!!!" Yuki screamed, tears falling.

"Senna-chan, why the hell did you do that?!" Nick exclaimed, trying to hold his own tears in.

Senna just smiled, her weakened body beginning to glow. "I never told you guys this, but... my powers as the Memory Rosary... continued to grow stronger whenever I was in your company. Those freaks... from the Delegates of Darkness knew this... that's why they wanted my power... Tabuu wanted it so he'd be unstoppable..."

"Why'd you kill yourself, Senna-chan?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"No... way... was I going to let my friends down..."

Senna leaned forward as best she could, kissing Yuki on the cheek.

"Yuki-chan... you're still adorable, even when you're crying... Please don't cry too much, though... I hate seeing tears stain such a pretty face..."

"Senna-chan... no..." Yuki squeaked, on the edge of a complete breakdown.

Senna just nodded as she began to fade away. "It's... all up to you guys now... knock Tabuu into next year, okay? This... is my final request..."

And with that, Senna had spoken her last, her head tilting to the side as she disappeared. The only thing left was Mirokumaru's bracelet.

Everyone was silent for a long time, what Senna had just done imprinted itself in their minds. Not even Moriko said anything.

Finally, Yuki just lost it, bursting out into tears and rushing into Nick's arms.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Nick just continued to hold his sister, sighing heavily.

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

"W-Why... Senna-chan?"

Mana frowned.

"Guess this is why we didn't know her... I never thought that Senna-chan would..."

Satoshi just shook his head before Mana took his hand.

"Mana-chan?"

"Onii-chan, I love you. Remember that." She whispered, lightly kissing his cheek. "Don't hurt yourself."

"Mana-chan, what do you mean?"

Mana smiled, holding up their entwined hands, which began glowing with an incredibly dark aura, making Satoshi's eyes widen in horror.

"_No_..."

"Don't be afraid of your own power." Mana murmured, placing her other hand on his, the aura turning pure at her soft touch. "Be strong, okay?"

When she released his hand, she took a step back, glowing with a purple aura.

Saiki's eyes widened at this.

"Mana-chan..."

Both siblings perked up and gasped.

"Mana-chan?!"

Mana turned to them, and smiled again.

"No worries! I still have some spiritual powers... And this time, I have a body to return to! Thanks for that."

"W-Wait, Mana-chan!!" Satoshi exclaimed. "You know fully well what happens if this goes wrong..."

"I'm not going to let okaa-chan cry anymore."

"Mana-chan..." Moriko started, frowning. "What are you even trying to do?"

Akemi gasped, horrified.

"M-Mana-chan, you're..."

Mana threw her hands in the air, glowing a rainbow aura.

"_Eternal Darkness, help me out! Let me call upon your power!! Spiritual Teleportation!!"_

"MANA-CHAN!!" Yuki exclaimed one last time as the energy exploded around her future daughter.

"MANA-CHAN, NO!!"

The energy cleared, and to their surprise, Mana was still standing there, but her body soon collapsed, making Satoshi bolt forward to catch her in his arms.

"Mana-chan?!" Satoshi lightly felt her neck, and let out a sigh of relief. "She's still breathing..."

"Mana-chan!!" Yuki exclaimed again, pushing herself away from Nick to run up to her. "Satoshi-kun, what..."

"Mana-chan really loves you... She plans on finding Senna-chan." Satoshi frowned, soothing down his sister's hair. "Hopefully, she'll be fine..."

Yuki calmed down a bit, and had to laugh despite herself.

"Wow... My daughter is just amazing."

"She really is..." Saiki couldn't help but murmur in agreement, his eyes hazy.

"But what about her body?" Sakura asked, clearly worried. "If something happens to her in this subconscious state...!!"

Satoshi shook his head, picking up Mana, cradling her gently in his arms.

"I won't let anything harm my little sister. Nick would know."

Nick perked up at this, and just nodded.

"Come on, in the meantime..."

He looked in the direction of the wind, lips tightening.

"We need to take care of Tabuu."

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"_Whoooaaah!!"_

_Mana landed on her feet to observe her surroundings, all were covered in a dark mist... Though this really didn't seem to daunt her._

"_Beautiful." She murmured, smiling. "I don't see why everyone's always afraid of the dark... Even my onii-chan... Oh well!"_

_Smiling, she skipped ahead, looking about._

"_Senna-chan? Senna-chan? Where are you?!"_

_Mana stopped, looking up._

"_What the..."_

_Above was a bunch of, what looked like films surrounding a sphere of light. Closer into the light, Mana was able to make out a familiar body..._

"_Senna-chan!!"_

_She rushed forward, and looked down._

"_Please work the same way that I remember..."_

_She tapped her foot twice, and the platform rose to a fair distance from Senna._

"_Alright..."_

_Mana stepped forward, and stairs started to appear, leading to Senna. Not taking any chances, she bolted up the stairs._

"_Senna-chan! Come on, answer me!! SENNA-CHAN!!"_

_When she was finally in front of the light, Mana's eyes widened._

"_These films... They're memories..."_

_Mana peered in closer, and she could make out Senna again, only she was suspended in a position with her hands clasped in a prayer, her golden eyes closed. Her hair was also down, flowing around her body._

_Upon closer look, Mana could see tears beginning to form in her eyes._

"_Senna-chan..."_

_She reached out towards her, only to fall back at a force field that covered her, burning her hand._

"_Ouch!!" Mana stared at her hand. "That really hurt..."_

_She looked at Senna again, and huffed._

"_But I can't give up!!"_

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Satoshi perked up, when Mana stirred in his arms, lightly whimpering as her hands slowly became bruised, making his eyes widen in horror.

"Mana-chan..."

"Okay, where IS Tabuu?!!" Moriko screamed out, furious. "Where is that guy!"

"I don't know, and I'm liking this less and less as time goes on, Moriko-chan!!" Sakura just sighed.

"Oh, what do we do?"

"I wonder... How Tabuu is even here in the first place..." Yuki murmured, stroking her cheek in confusion.

"I'm curious too, so we'll just have to ask him... Still..." Nick's eyes darted about.

"Something feels very wrong right now..."

Saiki perked up.

"Satoshi-kun, how's Mana-chan doing?"

"She's bruising..." Satoshi shut his eyes tightly. "I'm worried... What could possibly be going on?!"

Akemi turned to him, concerned.

"Satoshi... Satoshi-kun..."

Nick walked up to Mana, holding out his hands.

"Here, let me, Satoshi-kun."

Satoshi just perked up.

"Nick..."

Nick closed his eyes and focused.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

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_Mana fell to her knees as she panted, covered in all sorts of bruises from trying so hard to break the barrier._

"_Se... Senna-chan... I have to..."_

_She got up again, a little wobbly._

"_I can't... No..."_

_Suddenly she glowed, and her bruises disappeared, surprising her._

"_Eh? Wow..." she smiled, closing her eyes. "Thank you, Nick-jii-chan. Now..."_

_She tapped one of the passing memory films._

"_Senna-chan... Come on..." she whispered as the light overtook her, materializing into some sort of alley._

_Mana looked about, confused._

"_Where am I...?"_

_Her eyes soon widened as she spotted Senna running towards her._

"_Senna-chan!!" Mana called out, relieved. "Thank goodness, I've been looking all over for..."_

_Senna rushed right through her, just like she wasn't there, like she was an illusion._

_Mana stopped, her eyes wide as she was able to see the tears and horror in Senna's eyes for the mere second her body passed through hers._

"_S-Senna-chan..."_

_She stood there, and walked towards the corner, turning to what Senna had run from._

_Her eyes jolted wide when she saw the sight._

_There were two figures, a man and a girl... The girl was lying on her stomach, so close..._

_Mana cringed when she saw the pipe being brought down on the frail body, blood spilling everywhere._

_She held her stomach, falling to her knees like she was about to throw up._

"_No more... I'm way out of my league... I..."_

_She fell, the illusion fading out of her sight._

"_Onii-chan..."_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"I really hope Mana-chan's okay," Yuki wondered, softly stroking her future daughter's cheek.

"I'm sure she'll be all right, Yuki-chan," Nick responded, still rubbing Yuki's shoulder, as the black witch was still a little shook up over Senna's sacrifice. "But right now, priority one is finding Tabuu and making him pay for what he's done."

"Damn straight, Nick-kun," Yuki responded, smiling with a conviction she didn't usually show. "He's not gonna get away with this."

"You've got our help," Sakura stated. "Right, Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi just nodded, not really feeling like saying much else.

"So, you foolish brats don't know when to quit, do you?"

Nick spun around and noticed that Black Waltz Three had just appeared on the scene. Nick didn't waste any time in summoning Hanyou Hikari.

Yuki spun around and quickly summoned Shutsuga Tobiume. "What do you think you're doing here, freak?!"

Waltz just smiled at this. "You should know quite well why. Tabuu seems to be having a tough time with you kids."

Suddenly, something came to mind. "Wait just a minute. Did YOU revive Tabuu?!" Nick exclaimed.

Another laugh came from Waltz. "Oh, I wish you wouldn't spoil the surprise. But the answer is yes. When I fell into the silos after you brats defeated me two years ago, I did not die. I simply channeled the dark energy surrounding me and decided to hold onto it, knowing that it would one day prove useful. When I heard of your little venture into the future, I realized that Tabuu would make a perfect addition to our cause. However, when I found out that you brats had destroyed him, I figured that it was time to put that collected dark power to good use."

"Oh, buddy, you have no idea who you're messing with," Nick growled, his weapon glowing.

"Oh, you wish to fight me, do you? Very well..."

Waltz shifted into battle stance.

"Bring it."

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"_SENNA-CHAN, WAIT!!!" Mana exclaimed as she chased after Senna._

"_Who was that girl before?" Mana wondered, thinking back to the memory that Senna had run away from. Mana was glad she knew her way around limbo world, having been stuck here back in her time._

_Eventually, after a while of sifting through the many memories in this weird world, she found Senna sobbing in the middle of what appeared to be a sacred shrine._

"_Wait a minute. Isn't this the Gaia Shrine where she met Retsu-chan?" Mana wondered, thinking back to what her future father had told her about Senna._

"_Senna-chan?" Mana asked, cautiously approaching Senna. "What's the matter?"_

"_I... I couldn't help myself..." Senna explained, still not turning to face Mana. "I told myself that I never, EVER wanted to relive that painful memory..."_

"_That girl in the memory... that was Retsu-chan, wasn't it?" Mana wondered, to which Senna just nodded._

"_I... I had no idea what had happened to Retsu-chan until it was too late... I didn't want to face the fact that I'd lost everything dear to me... and now that I'm dead... I..."_

_Mana smiled at that. "But you're not dead, Senna-chan."_

_This made Senna perk up. "What? I'm not?"_

_Mana shook her head. "This is just limbo. I know this world well because I was stuck in it for most of my life back in my time. Nick-jii-chan was here once, too..."_

_Mana walked up and put her hands on Senna's shoulders. "Senna-chan, come back to the living. We all need you. We love you, we really do."_

"_Do... do you know the way, Mana-chan?" Senna asked, now completely interested._

_Mana giggled. "Of course!! When you're stuck in limbo for most of your life, you know the layout of the place by heart. Follow me!!"_

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Nick brought Hanyou Hikari up to deflect a powerful dark shockwave.

"Give it up, brats!! There's no way you can win this fight!!!" Waltz cackled, laughing evilly.

"Not a chance, freak!!!" Nick shot back.

Waltz was about to attempt another charge, but was stopped cold when he was struck by several dark shockwaves that came from Satoshi, of all people.

Satoshi just smiled. "I DID inherit some of my dad's power along with my mom's, so I won't be that easy to take out."

Waltz cursed at this. "Little brat!!"

Waltz lined up to charge at Satoshi, but was again stopped dead by an energy blast, this one from Sakura.

"Not while I'm still here, dark boy!!" Sakura exclaimed, bringing out her own wand, which looked like a cross between the Jewelry Poron and the Sweet Poron.

"Whoa... Sakura-chan, you're a...?" Nick asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yep. Became an Ojamajo a few months after you guys fixed the future. And I think it's time I show my parents a cool trick I learned with this wand."

With that, Sakura raised her wand into the air, and it began to glow with a bright light.

"_Stab the enemy, Suzumebachi!!"_

Responding to Sakura's call, her wand shrunk down into a golden bracelet around her right wrist that included a nicely-sized energy needle.

"Watch and learn, boys and girls," Sakura giggled.

That said, Sakura charged forward, deftly dodging all sorts of attacks from Waltz. Once she was close enough, she leaped up and stabbed Waltz in the chest with her weapon, creating a flower-shaped mark.

Waltz simply shrugged the hit off. "Is that all you've got, future girl?"

Sakura just continued to smile. "Keep watching."

Almost without warning, Sakura leaped again, jamming Suzumebachi's needle into the exact same spot she'd struck before, right in the center of the flower mark.

Before Waltz could react to this, he suddenly doubled forward in pain, the spot where he'd been struck radiating with a bright light.

"What... the... hell?" Waltz gasped, trying to figure out what was going on. Just then, he began to evaporate, just like the last time Nick and Yuki had defeated him.

"No... this isn't possible... beaten by a ten-year-old..."

Sakura just stuck out her tongue as Waltz completely evaporated. Nick, Yuki, and Saiki were in awe at this display.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, did you just...?" Yuki exclaimed, at a loss for words.

Sakura just nodded, showing her parents her weapon. "This is Suzumebachi, the giant hornet. You saw that flower mark I made when I stabbed him the first time, right? Well, if I strike that same mark again, they're done for, no matter how strong they are. I haven't really used it that much because its power is WAY off the charts. I usually save it for when we're fighting the bad guys."

Nick and Yuki just smiled, too awed for words.

"Okay, now back to business," Nick stated. "Tabuu's not gonna wait for long."

"_Hey!! You're not going to look for Tabuu without me, are you?"_

EVERYONE spun around at this voice. Satoshi noticed that Mana had finally woken up. That could only mean...

"Hey, guys!! That was kinda interesting, huh?"

"SENNA-CHAN!!!" Nick and Yuki exclaimed.

Indeed, Senna was there, alive and well, Mirokumaru held proudly by her side.

Yuki immediately rushed up and threw her arms around Senna.

"I missed you, too, Yuki-chan," Senna giggled, returning the embrace.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"But... How?"

Mana grinned, stretching out as she gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks to me! Being Saiki-kun's daughter really pays off!! Especially since I've been in the limbo world for so long..."

Saiki blushed at that.

_So THAT was why..._

Yuki looked up, smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Mana-chan..."

Mana shook her head.

"No, I got to see that smile on okaa-chan's face. That was all it took! It was worth it, Yuki-chan."

Satoshi laughed a bit.

"Oh, Mana-chan..."

Mana turned to him, beaming.

_My big brother..._

"Hey, Mana-chan!! Took you long enough!!" Sakura called out, waving her hand.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, but remember! Patience is the key..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Sakura sighed, shaking her head. "You KNOW how impatient I am..."

Mana had to groan.

"You take after Nick-jii-chan..."

Nick just shrugged, laughing a bit.

"What can I say, Sakura-chan?"

"Neither of you listen!!" she fumed, waving her arms about. "No matter what otou-chan or what I say...!!"

Saiki laughed, while Satoshi took his sister's arm.

"Oi, Mana-chan... Don't we got more pressing matters at hand?"

"Oh, it's true..." Mana smiled.

"Tabuu's gotta pay for all that he's done..."

_To otou-chan... okaa—chan... ESPECIALLY to nii-chan!!_

Moriko looked about, earning Akemi's concern.

"M-Moriko-chan?"

Moriko sighed, shaking her head.

"Akemi-chan, we gotta go now."

"What?"

"Moriko-chan, Akemi-chan, where are you going?!" Momoko called out in English as Moriko grabbed Akemi's arm.

"There's something the two of us need to do..." Moriko muttered darkly, proceeding to drag her childhood friend out of there.

Akemi just nodded, her face a light pink.

"Y-Yes... We'll be back... Okay?"

Nick just nodded, stunned.

"S-Sure... Hurry back, Akemi-chan."

Akemi nodded again, blushing darkly.

"As you wish, Nick-kun."

Moriko blushed herself, fuming.

"A-Akemi-chan, hurry!!"

"O-Okay!!"

"Moriko-chan... Akemi-chan..." Yuki whispered as the two left, sighing. "What on earth could they be doing?"

"I'm sure it's important, Yuki-chan!!" Senna exclaimed in an attempt to calm the black witch down. "Just believe in them!!"

Yuki just nodded, still a bit uncertain.

_Those two..._

"Alright."

Satoshi sighed at this himself.

"Even now... There's no telling what Moriko-san plans on doing with Akemi-san..."

"Just believe in Takahashi-san, Satoshi-kun." Sakura stated, winking.

"I'm super sure that they'll be just fine!!"

"I'm not so sure about that, cousin."

Nick laughed.

"Relax Satoshi-kun... You overreact as much as Yuki-chan does..."

Yuki blushed madly at that.

"Ni... Nick-kun, that's not funny!!"

Saiki chuckled.

"Says you, Yuki-chan."

Yuki's blush deepened.

"Oh... Saiki-kun..."

_What's on his mind, I wonder?_

She sighed.

_Even now... I just can't tell._

The black witch bit her lip.

_Saiki-kun..._

"Yuki-chan?" Senna wondered, poking her shoulder. "Something up?"

Yuki blushed, shaking her head.

"N-No, not at all."

She smiled then, raising her hand as an aura surrounded her.

"Nick-kun was right, though... I don't think Tabuu will wait on us forever."

"That's not right, okaa-chan!!" Mana moaned. "He needs to be more patient!!"

"Mana-chan..." Satoshi started before he perked up, turning dazed.

_The last link... I still can't get those words out of my mind..._

He yawned, wiping off his forehead.

_Despite what Mana-chan said, I... I..._

"_If that's the cause, then why not tell?! What do you have to lose?! Oh yes, I remember..."_

"_Don't be afraid of your own power. Be strong, okay?"_

_I just can't..._

Satoshi sighed one last time, earning Saiki's attention.

"Satoshi-kun, is something wrong...?"

Satoshi kept his head bowed.

"Don't worry about me, otou-san," he murmured under his breath. "It's complicated..."

"Sato—"

"Heya!!"

"What?"

Everyone seemed startled as a figure dropped down, revealing none other than Sayoko Kurumi.

"A bird told me about your troubles... Can I help?"

Senna squealed.

"Oh, my gosh!! ANOTHER Yuki-chan!!"

Kurumi noticed her, and then the future children.

"And... Another Saiki-kun... Fascinating..."

She shook her head, snapping to attention.

"Someone mind telling me why I'm here?"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Cursed kids... they have gotten much smarter than the last we fought..." Tabuu stated to nobody in particular. "I will have to use caution when dealing with the brats in the future."

"What shall you do, Master Tabuu?"

"Let us see if they will be able to handle the last of the Four Heavenly Kings first. Then, I will determine what we must do."

"As always, I am your loyal servant, Master Tabuu."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Oh, I see," Kurumi noted after Nick and Yuki had finished explaining everything. It had taken nearly an hour, but Kurumi was finally up to speed on everything that had been going on.

Suddenly, Senna thought of something. Walking up to Nick, she decided to say what was on her mind. "Say, Nick? I've been wondering... why would YOUR father do things like that to you? It doesn't seem right that the father of someone so adorable would do something like that..."

Nick nodded. "I didn't really understand it either, Senna-chan," he responded, "but dad was pretty upset when he found out that mom was having an affair with someone. I guess that feeling boiled up until it made him snap..."

_Nick looked positively shocked as he reached home; the front door had been knocked off of its hinges, and from what he could tell, some sort of chaos had erupted inside._

_Not wasting any time, Nick rushed inside the house, and what he saw nearly froze him to his spot: his father was advancing on Yuki, who was already covered with bruises._

_As his father struck again, Nick finally found the feeling in his shaking legs and rushed forward, immediately pushing his father away and bending down in an attempt to comfort his shivering sister._

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

_Within seconds, the bruises had been healed. Nick scooped his sister into his arms, as she was apparently too shocked to react. He shot a glare towards his father as he continued up the stairs that led to the siblings' shared bedroom._

_Nick felt like his heart was breaking when he saw how scared his sister looked. 'What dad's been doing lately is enough to emotionally tear anyone apart,' Nick thought. 'Emotional scars like this usually never go away. And no matter how hard I try, that's the one kind of scar that the soten kisshun can never heal...'_

_Once they'd reached their room, Nick gently set Yuki down on her bed. The two siblings still had separate beds, but ever since their father had started acting up, Yuki had constantly clambered into Nick's bed when she couldn't sleep, and they would usually talk the night away, just conversing about this and that._

"_Nick-kun?"_

"_Are you all right, Yuki-chan?"_

"_I should be... thank you."_

"_That's just what I do."_

_Yuki nodded. "I'm glad you're keeping your promise, Nick-kun."_

"_I never back down on my word, Yuki-chan. I keep my promises, remember?"_

_Yuki nodded again, embracing her big brother. Nick returned the hug, staring out their glass window._

'_Something about dad's behavior really doesn't add up, damn it, and I'll find out what it is sooner or later,' Nick thought. 'All for my cute little sister...'_

_As Yuki fell asleep in Nick's arms, he whispered one magic word..._

"_Nankurunaisa..."_

"Yuki-chan always says that times like those were memories she'd prefer to forget..." Nick stated after he'd finished his story.

Before anyone could say another world, a massive explosion rocked the area. Nick and the girls immediately snapped to their senses.

"What's going on?!" Kurumi exclaimed.

As if responding to those very words, a massive fish creature with scorpion-like arms, came flying out of the ocean, landing in front of Yuki and the gang.

"Wait, Nick-kun? Is that...?" Yuki asked.

"Has to be," Nick responded. "Captain Bemoth... I'm really getting sick of these guys by now..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"I've took care of Bemoth before, this should be _easy_."

A smirk flashed across Yuki's face.

_Let's see if you've gotten any stronger, Bebe._

This seemed to surprise Nick.

"Hey... Yuki-chan?"

Saiki flinched suddenly, shivering a bit.

_What was that rush of energy? Strange..._

He perked up as Yuki relaxed her defensive posture, turning to him with glittering expectant eyes.

"Yu... Yuki-chan?"

Yuki smiled brightly, and grinned.

"Be sure to cheer for me, okay Saiki-kun?"

Saiki blinked, but smiled, nodding.

Mana and Satoshi both looked at each other. Mana smiled herself.

"See? Okaa-chan's younger than you now and even _she_ can control her powers."

Satoshi just smiled, and shrugged.

"Can't really be helped, Mana-chan."

"Liar."

Satoshi huffed, folding his arms.

"Whatever."

Sakura just sighed at the sight.

_Man... Those two... Makes me wish I had a sibling to play and fight with... Lucky..._

She then snapped her attention back to the black witch, taking note of the mysterious aura.

_Huh... So that's what she's capable of._

Yuki smiled again, as if she already knew the outcome. Captain Bemoth soon disappeared in a flash, her following soon after.

"Yuki-chan..." Nick started, looking around for his sister. "Yuki-chan?"

"Don't bother Nick-kun." Saiki stated, closing his eyes to sense the two's movements. "Yuki-chan's traveling alright."

"Yuki-chan sure has grown, huh?" Kurumi couldn't help but laugh, shrugging mindlessly.

Senna blinked and smiled, bright and bubbly.

"It's a shame... Not being able to see Yuki-chan's cute face like this..."

Satoshi smiled at that, nodding in agreement.

_Yuki-chan's always been cute... Even now..._

His smile soon vanished, and he sighed, brown eyes blank.

_It's such a shame... Yuki-chan..._

"Take that!!"

_Huh?_

Everyone snapped to where there was a shockwave, and Bemoth appeared, slamming into a nearby wall where Yuki had, judging from her position with her leg high in the air, had spin-kicked him.

The black witch grinned again, widely.

"You lost your pace, Bemoth."

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick called out quickly, making his sister spun around in confusion.

"Nick-kun?"

Nick flinched, shivering.

_Something... Something's about to happen... I can just feel it..._

His eyes darted to Saiki, who had a lost look for some reason.

_Does Saiki-kun notice? Huh..._

Yuki blinked, both perplexed and worried.

_Nick-kun looks so tense all of a sudden..._

"Yuki-chan, behind you!!" Senna exclaimed.

Yuki quickly turned to where Bemoth had disappeared again. Cursing, she vanished, trying to keep up with his pace once again.

"Sai... Saiki-kun?"

"Huh?"

Saiki's eyes regained their shine as he turned to Nick, who looked almost desperate. His eyes widened.

"Hey Nick-kun... What's wrong?"

"Saiki-kun..." Nick cleared his throat and he shot the wizard an accusing glare. "What have you been hiding all this time?"

"Huh?"

Saiki frowned, giving a both innocent and confused smile.

"What are you... talking about, Nick-kun?"

"You know damn well _what_." The green witch stated in a low voice, growling.

Saiki just shook his head slowly.

"No..."

"What have you been keeping to yourself? _It's driving me insane_!!" Nick exclaimed, having already lost his patience. "Stop playing it like it's a game, and just TELL me!!"

The younger prince bowed his head, hiding his eyes as his voice went low.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"_Saiki-kun_," Nick stated firmly. "Enough is _enough_."

Saiki's lips formed a smirk.

"You act like you know so much... You really haven't changed from the moment we met, Nick-kun. Why are you so interested in my secrets now?"

"It has to do with Yuki-chan, doesn't it?" Nick asked softly, tensing up again.

"Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan..." Saiki laughed lightly, though the sound itself was hollow. "Everything in Nick-kun's world revolves around Yuki-chan..."

Nick's eyes jolted wide.

"And I can't help but wonder... What if Nick-kun wasn't able to protect Yuki-chan...? What if he actually caused Yuki-chan pain _himself_...?"

Nick flinched, but clenched his fists.

"Where are you going with this, Saiki-kun?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that no matter what you do, you can't change fate?" Saiki finally looked up, his eyes blank.

"You're _helpless_, Nick-kun."

He smiled, back to being casual.

"Understand?"

Nick gritted his teeth.

"No wonder I never liked you that much... What are you planning?"

"Planning?" Saiki turned to where Yuki, as if on cue, appeared for a few seconds before vanishing again in a flash. He closed his eyes, sighing.

"Why would I ever plan anything against Yuki-chan? You're not the only person who loves her and only wants to protect her smile..."

"But you're still keeping your mouth shut." Nick deducted, keeping his eyes on him. "Am I right?"

"I don't care what you think, I just care about Yuki-chan."

Saiki shook his head.

"You wouldn't understand... Not in a lifetime."

"Try me."

Kurumi frowned at the sight.

_What could they possibly be talking about? Does it have to do with the kids?_

Satoshi and Mana both perked up. Mana frowned.

"Otou-chan..."

Yuki suddenly skidded to a stop, turning to both Nick and Saiki.

_What?_

Her eyes suddenly widened.

_No!!_

She soon spun on her foot, nailing Bemoth with a shockwave, slamming him against the wall.

"Stay here," she directed before bolting between both of the boys. "Hey, Nick-kun!! Saiki-kun!!"

Saiki's eyes brightened up a bit and he perked up.

"Yuki-chan?"

Yuki turned to him, confused.

"What's going on? _Tell me._"

Her boyfriend faltered, and shook his head.

"I can't tell Yuki-chan... I can't tell Yuki-chan anything."

"You can't tell me? _Why_?"

Yuki took a step forward, eyes sparkling. Nick's own eyes widened.

_Yuki-chan...?_

"You can tell me..." Yuki stated in an unusually soft tone, her voice almost compelling. "Saiki-kun can tell Yuki-chan _anything_... Absolutely _anything_."

Saiki shook his head again, keeping it bowed.

"No... I can't."

"You _can_," she urged, taking his shoulder. "Saiki-kun... Don't..."

Yuki leaned forward, their lips in short distance.

"Saiki-kun can tell me anything... So... _Talk to me_..."

"Yuki..._chan_..."

Senna just blinked twice, and turned to Bemoth before her eyes snapped up wide.

"Yuki-chan, get over here _quick_!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Senna was able to shove Yuki away from the impending shockwave attack just in time.

"Don't you DARE harm my best friend, you overgrown fish bait!!" Senna exclaimed, summoning Mirokumaru and holding it into the air.

"_The twilight that engulfs the darkness!! Seijin Mirokumaru!!!"_

Senna swung her weapon just as Captain Bemoth made another pass, knocking the oversized fish for a loop.

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The siblings' special attacks only caused even further damage.

Senna suddenly swung her staff around her body. "No more games!! This ends now!!"

Senna smiled towards Nick and Yuki, who immediately got the message.

Nick and Yuki held their hands out in front of them, crossing their left hands over their right.

"_Style Change!! Sky Style!!"_ Nick exclaimed, glowing wings sprouting from his back.

"_Style Change!! Speed Style!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, her puff-sleeved vest and pink shoes replaced by a blue jacket and red sneakers with white stripes.

Senna performed the same motion, crossing her left hand over her right. She began glowing with a bright light.

"My turn!! _Style Change!! Warrior Style!!_" Senna exclaimed, an armor plate appearing on her left shoulder and a warrior-style sword appearing in her free hand. Saiki was surprised that Senna could dual-wield so easily.

"Let me start!!" Senna giggled, charging for the stunned Bemoth and slamming her sword into the fish creature.

"_Mystic Arte!! Starfire Tornado!!!"_ Senna proclaimed as she began to spin around rapidly, her sword and Mirokumaru slicing into sensitive flesh.

"Go, Yuki-chan!!" Senna exclaimed, to which the black witch just nodded, rushing at Bemoth.

"_Mystic Arte!! Divine Wrath!!!"_ Yuki chanted, dashing forward and striking multiple times, eventually becoming a blur of sword strikes that ended with a powerful uppercut.

"Finish him off, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed. Nick wasted no time in rushing forward.

"_Mystic Arte!! Buster Strike!!!"_ Nick proclaimed, lashing out with Hanyou Hikari and creating a long gash in Bemoth's side, though the creature roared back.

Nick paid no heed to this, lashing out with a series of a multiple strokes from his weapon, each strike causing quite a lot of damage.

Just then, Nick leaped back, his weapon at the ready.

"This... is the final strike!!" Nick proclaimed, jumping into the air and bringing his weapon down quite hard, straight through Bemoth. This last strike created a column of energy that shot into the sky from the point of impact and literally tore Bemoth apart.

Once the battlefield was calm again, Nick, Yuki, and Senna reverted out of their Style Changes. You could easily tell that Mana, Sakura, and Satoshi were impressed by this.

"Wow. That's a new trick," Satoshi noted.

"AWESOME!!!" Sakura and Mana exclaimed.

Nick just nodded. "Now that that's over with..."

In a move no one expected, Nick dashed forward, grabbed Saiki by his shirt collar, and slammed him into the wall before Yuki could protest. Everyone let out a gasp of shock at this, but Yuki was the first to notice that Nick had changed a bit during this. He was wearing what appeared to be a blue shirt with a black scarf around his neck, black and yellow-striped shorts that formed a sort of cape on the outside, and dark brown hiking boots. His eyes had also become a dark shade of red, and Hanyou Hikari had just become his Dark Buster Sword.

"All right, Saiki-kun, I've had just about enough of your fortune-teller talk," Nick growled. "Now you'd better tell me just what the hell you're hiding and what it has to do with Yuki-chan, because I am officially through playing around!!!"

Saiki, surprisingly, stayed calm even though it appeared he was being threatened. "You want your answer, Nick-kun? It starts with that weapon you're carrying and the clothes you're wearing."

Nick stole a quick glance at his outfit before Saiki continued. "If you don't learn to master those powers of yours soon, you're going to end up losing control of yourself. And God help you if you harm Yuki-chan..."

Nick didn't take lightly to that. "Just what do you think you're implying, Saiki-kun?! You know as well as any of us that I would NEVER hurt my little sister!!"

Saiki still stayed calm as he continued his explanation. "Remember that time you lost control while practicing your Purifier powers?"

Nick backed off a bit, though still keeping Saiki in his grip. "I don't want to relive that, all right?"

"You're only lucky that the incident happened before Yuki-chan and I met," Saiki noted. "She told me it was just a scratch she took, but if you lose control of those powers, you may end up seriously injuring her before you regain control. And I don't take lightly to ANYONE harming someone precious to me, whether they're in their right mind or not."

This only served to further peeve Nick. "Listen, Saiki-kun, you've got a lot of nerve telling me not to do things YOU KNOW I'D NEVER DO!!! So don't you waltz around all la-di-dah and tell me how to protect my little sister, GOT IT?!"

Saiki responded to this by unleashing a shockwave that knocked Nick a few feet away.

Yuki was about to start freaking out, but Senna just held the black witch by her shoulders, silently instructing her to let the two boys work it out of their systems.

Nick just readied his Buster Sword for battle. "Oh, you're asking for it now, buddy."

"Sorry, Nick-kun, but I apparently have to knock some sense into you, since you obviously won't listen to reason," Saiki stated.

Nick gripped his Buster Sword tightly. "Why don't you come over here and try me?!"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki stood his ground, and smiled lightly.

"First mistake."

Nick growled at this, charging to Saiki, only for him to perform a sidestep and dodge, the Buster Sword missing his throat by only an inch.

"Second mistake," Saiki deducted, shaking his head. Nick glared at him, regaining his posture for a few moments.

"Saiki-kun..." he started in a raspy voice, clearly threatening.

"Third mistake," the wizard warned, much to Nick's fury.

"What the HELL is your problem?!" he demanded, swiping Buster Sword at Saiki, who was quickly dodging again, already telling what his movements were before time.

"My problem..." Saiki mused when Nick had stopped for a few minutes for whatever reason. "That would be you."

Nick only growled at this, readying his weapon.

"You little..."

"What do you know?" Saiki shot back in a soft voice, his fists tightening. "What do you know about _anything_, Nick-kun?"

Nick's anger doubled and he charged again. He then thrust Buster Sword into the stone that was beside Saiki, nearly crumbling it to the ground.

"Enlighten me," Nick stated in a sarcastic voice, still glaring daggers at him.

Saiki frowned at this.

"You wouldn't listen."

"Try me."

The wizard smirked, letting out a fake laugh.

"Wouldn't Nick-kun like to know..."

"S-Stop it, you two..." Yuki muttered shakily, trembling like a leaf. Senna just held her tighter.

"No, Yuki-chan..." she murmured.

"B-But... Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..." Her mind was going haywire, and her heart was pounding so hard it made her dizzy.

_Why... Why... Why?_

"Why are you fighting?" she whispered, not quite understanding. "Why? Stop it... Stop, please..."

"Yuki-chan..." Senna pleaded.

Saiki shot a quick glance at Yuki before nailing Nick with a quick shockwave to get some space.

Nick huffed, quickly getting up, holding his Buster Sword up high, pointing it straight at Saiki.

"You're a _coward_, Saiki-kun." He stated firmly, in a voice that didn't sound like him at all. "You know that? _You're_ the helpless one, not me."

"Don't sound so arrogant..." the wizard muttered, his voice retaining no emotion, just air. "Don't act like you know anything..."

"I would if someone wasn't being so tight-lipped about it."

"Nick-kun, you really don't understand what's going on right now." Saiki finally looked up, and his expression was calm, though there seemed to be no form of emotion in his black, coal-colored eyes.

Nick tensed up a bit, but smirked himself.

"Who's being the arrogant one, now? Worthless..."

Saiki immediately snapped out of it as he growled, his normally smooth temper finally snapped.

"You act like that... You've _always_ act like you can do whatever you want, and quite frankly, that's the reason why I never liked you."

"Look who's talking... At least I never took advantage of Yuki-chan!!" Nick shot back, eyes flashing.

"I _never_ took advantage of her, Nick-kun! Not once ever... I actually care about Yuki-chan... You're just too thickheaded to see that!!" Saiki's fists clenched tighter, and a dark aura exploded out of him, adding to the viciousness of his voice. "Oh, but what do I care? Talking won't solve anything, Nick-kun."

Nick took a defensive stance, surprised a bit by the sudden change in Saiki's attitude.

_I've never once seen Saiki-kun act like that... Even when someone was threatening Yuki-chan... In the few times he's lost his temper... He's never looked like this..._

"I... I was about to say the same."

He prepared his sword, keeping his eyes on Saiki's, trying to read them.

"Too slow," Saiki muttered darkly, nailing him with a shockwave that must have been ten times more powerful than usually.

Nick quickly jumped to his feet, hissing.

"Cheap shot," he growled charging, only for Saiki to dodge again. Nick's fists tightened, and he swung Buster Sword all around, but every time he seemed to have the wizard in his grasp, he was gone again.

Nick only growled again in annoyance.

Saiki smirked at this.

"Your movements are so predictable... From the second you take a step. Face it Nick-kun, no matter how powerful or fast you are, I'll be able to deduct every single movement before you even plan it out yourself... Not that you've ever really paused to think about your actions before..."

"You wanna run that by me again?!" Nick snapped, enraged. Suddenly, his Buster Sword began growing a bright emerald green, surrounded by wind.

Yuki's eyes widened.

_No... Wait... Nick-kun!!_

"Let's see if you can escape this!! _Heavenly Tempest!!!_" he exclaimed, unleashing the whirlwind on him.

"SAIKI-KUN!!" Yuki screamed, tears fleeing her eyes.

Saiki instantly snapped up at Yuki's voice, and his aura pulsed. Not wasting any time, he thrust his hands forward, which begin glowing a bright black.

"_Makurayami_!!" he shouted, the whirlwind halting as darkness shined though it, creating an explosion that nearly pushed Nick back a few feet.

"What...?"

Saiki held out his hand, watching black fire form, crackling on his palm, slightly burning his skin.

"Darkness can be a painful thing... But I draw power from it... It's a night elemental's job to use the element he was born with for the one he cherishes."

Mana perked up at this, a bit surprised.

"Otou-chan..."

Nick swayed a bit, but snapped out of it.

"Why won't you tell me anything?"

"Because someone like you doesn't understand... Someone like you would never understand..." The fire turned fierce before going out, Saiki approaching Nick slowly. "You wouldn't understand, Nick-kun."

"I would if you told me..." Nick started, as tense as ever.

"SAIKI-KUN!!" Yuki exclaimed again, making Nick perk up as Saiki quickly striked, his fist shrouded by dark energy.

_Yuki-chan's voice..._ he thought, his breath stuck in his throat. _Saiki-kun's power increases every time he hears her call out his name... Yuki-chan..._

"You never told us anything..." Nick stated in a low voice, anger filling it. "Not once have you ever trusted me OR Yuki-chan... Not even from the beginning..."

"You're just now figuring this out?!" Saiki shot back, bringing down his fist only for Nick to catch it. "I can't trust anyone, anything!! You, who've had Yuki-chan by your side from the very beginning, do you have any idea how much I wish I could be in _your_ place?!"

"Saiki-kun, you're not even letting yourself trust her..." Nick growled, swiping his sword, only for Saiki to quickly jump back, snapping out of the green witch's grip.

"You refuse to listen... You don't get it, Nick-kun... If you can't learn proper control, Yuki-chan will get hurt! And _I refuse to allow that to happen_!!"

"I won't HARM Yuki-chan ever!!" Nick shot back charging, bringing out his Buster Sword and bringing it down one last time...

...Only for Saiki to stop it, clutching it tightly in his hand, the blade only inches away from himself.

"Will you listen, Nick-kun?! Don't you understand that your own selfishness and pride is putting everyone in danger?!"

"You wouldn't know that, Saiki-kun!! You can't even trust us properly with your own life!!" Nick exclaimed, furious.

Saiki however, only scoffed at this.

"My own life... What makes you think I even care about my own well-being? The only thing that worries me is Yuki-chan... You wouldn't understand that, either... Not the pain... The _agony_ I have to through every single day knowing what I am!!"

His hand tightened around the Buster Sword, not seeming to care about the blood that was slowly trickling down the blade.

"The only thing I can't trust you with is Yuki-chan..."

Nick huffed, using all his strength to bring down his Buster Sword. Saiki winced from the loss of blood, and the weapon inched closer.

"Saiki-kun, this is the end."

"NICK-KUN, STOP!! SAIKI-KUN'S HURT!!"

Nick immediately froze, and Yuki struggled in Senna's grasp.

"Y-Yuki-chan, wait!!"

"NO! NICK-KUN, GET AWAY FROM SAIKI-KUN!! DON'T HURT HIM ANYMORE!!" Yuki screamed, snapping out of Senna's grip, rushing right in front of Saiki, arms wrapped around him.

"G-Get away... from Saiki-kun... You hurt him, Nick-kun... He's hurt..."

Satoshi and Mana instantly flinched. Sakura covered her mouth in shock.

"Yuki-chan..." Kurumi murmured, worried beyond belief.

Saiki's hand released Buster Blade and he fell to his knees, Yuki tumbling with him, her arms still wrapped uselessly around his waist. The wizard panted, his aura fading.

"My... My energy... Yuki-chan..."

Nick just stood there numbly, not sure what to do. Yuki on the other hand, did her best to console her boyfriend, gently pulling his hair from his eyes, stroking his cheek.

"Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun... Are you okay? Did Nick-kun hurt you really badly?" She stared at her brother wordlessly, her eyes filled with tears. "Why? Why did you hurt my Saiki-kun?"

Nick's fists clenched.

"Yuki-chan... Get away from Saiki-kun."

Her eyes widened.

"But..." She gritted her teeth, shaking her head. "No! You're not allowed to come near Saiki-kun anymore, you hear? You _go away_, Nick-kun!"

Nick tensed, and Saiki looked up, huffing.

"Yuki-chan... Listen to Nick-kun."

"Eh?! S-Saiki-kun, no! If Nick-kun hurts Saiki-kun anymore, I won't be able to forgive him!!"

Yuki clung to his shoulders, desperate not to let go.

"I'll have him promise to stay away from me and Saiki-kun... I'll have him promise to stay away forever and ever!!"

Nick's eyes widened but he growled.

"Yuki-chan, I..."

"Go." Saiki ordered her quietly. Yuki's eyes widened but she reluctantly nodded, releasing him and backing away.

"Don't hurt Saiki-kun," she whispered to Nick quietly, begging.

Nick shook her off, raising Buster Sword, making his sister's eyes widen in horror.

"NICK-KUN!!"

"Any last words, Saiki-kun?" he asked, gripping his blade.

Saiki merely glared at him wordlessly.

"...Shoot yourself."

Nick soon brought down his Buster Sword.

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! THAT WAS YOUR LAST MISTAKE!!!"

"NICK-KUN, NO!!" Yuki screamed, jumping in between again, her arms spread out.

Nick's eyes widened as blood was sprayed all over, his sword dropping to the ground at the sight of his sister.

"Yuki-chan, no..."

Yuki was still miraculously standing, but her arms were trembling, and there was a deep cut through her shoulder and the end of her waist, her blood trickling down from her wounds.

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Saiki exclaimed in pure horror.

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Everyone else screamed, also horrified.

"I-I... I told you to stop Nick-kun..." her voice trembled, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I told you not to harm Saiki-kun anymore... Why... Why did you try to do that? I... I can't even be angry... But..."

Nick snapped up as his sister glared at him, hurt, confused, and accusing all the same.

"_But I can't forgive you for harming Saiki-kun the way you did_!! I don't understand Nick-kun, why didn't you stop?! Why?!"

"Yuki-chan!!" Saiki exclaimed, taking her shoulders as she lost her balance, unconscious from the damage. He stared at Nick, who flinched.

"I was right."

Nick shuddered as he stared at his hands, his Buster Sword dropping to the floor as tears spilled in his dark red eyes.

_No..._

"Yu... Yuki-chan..."

Momoko's eyes glittered, and she shivered. "Ni... Nick..."

"Yuki-chan!!" Senna exclaimed as she rushed up to the black witch. "Yuki-chan?!"

Mana and Satoshi looked at each other, then at Sakura, who just shook her head.

Nick's form slowly reverted back to normal, and he fell to the ground, surprising Saiki.

"Nick-kun?!"

Nick winced in his state, his eyes tight with pain.

"Yu... _Yuki-chan_..."

Saiki sighed, shaking his head.

_I was right... But..._

He looked down at Yuki, delicately stroking her cheek.

_But I was also wrong..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick could only stare on at what he'd done. Without even realizing it, Saiki's prediction had come true.

_Why? Why did I let that happen? Why did I lose control? ...why did I hurt my sister... when I promised I would never do that?_

Nick just looked over at his sister, who was still trembling in Saiki's arms, her wound becoming more obvious with each passing second.

Not even trusting his own steps, Nick slowly approached Yuki, whose eyes snapped open as her brother inched closer.

"Please... just let me say this, Yuki-chan," Nick pleaded. "I'm... I am _so sorry..._ I know I don't deserve forgiveness for what I did... and I know I had no right to attack your boyfriend like that... but... you should know that all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy... I... I don't want to lose you, Yuki-chan... we've already lost our family... and... you're all I have left... I can't afford to lose the last precious person in my life... I can't... I can't go through that anymore... first _okaa-sama_, then _otou-san..._ you're... you're all I have... I don't know what I'd do with myself if I lost you..."

Yuki looked on in surprise. She'd never realized that she really meant THAT much to him...

"I wouldn't... I wouldn't be able to live with myself... knowing my own sister hates me for what I did..."

"Don't... don't say that, Nick-kun..." Yuki stated in short and shallow breaths. "Even though... even though you tried to kill my boyfriend... even though I can never forgive what you did... I... I still love you. Don't say such silly things..."

Nick's eyes suddenly filled with tears, looking as if he was about to burst into a crying fit. To his credit, Nick managed to maintain some semblance of control as he walked closer to his sister.

"I... I may not be able to stay around you anymore... thanks to these stupid powers of mine... but I can at least do this for you."

Nick raised his hands, which were glowing with a bright light.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

With that call, Nick's spell took effect, healing the very wound he himself had caused.

"Yuki-chan... make sure you remember... I will ALWAYS love you, even though I can't protect you anymore..."

Surprising even himself, Nick leaned forward, pressing his lips to Yuki's for a few seconds.

"Saiki-kun?" Nick asked once he'd pulled back. Surprisingly to the others, Saiki looked up at Nick. "Take care of Yuki-chan. She's your responsibility now."

With that, Nick walked away, his head hanging.

"Nick-kun... please... don't go..." Yuki stated, tears falling from her eyes.

"_Sayonara,_ Yuki-chan. I... I love you..."

And in a flash, Nick had disappeared.

"NICK-KUN!!!!" Yuki screamed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick walked down a seemingly empty street, his head filled with endless questions.

_I knew these powers were bad news... and what's worse, I almost killed my little sister... why do I even have these stupid powers? They almost destroyed my life..._

"Well, well. You seem down on yourself."

Nick spun around at this voice. There, floating in the air, was Tabuu.

"Don't start with me, Tabuu. I am REALLY not in the mood right now."

"Why do you think you have these powers? It is merely fate."

Nick growled at this, becoming his Dark Dragon form in an instant, the Buster Sword gripped tightly in his hands and his eyes glowing a bright blood-red.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO SHUT UP?!!" Nick screamed, slicing forward with his weapon and leaving a large gash on Tabuu's glowing body.

"Such power, boy. And yet you lost control and nearly killed your sister," Tabuu taunted. "I can help you control that power, if you let me."

Nick perked up at this. "What's the catch?"

"All I ask is that you become my apprentice," Tabuu offered. "And I will allow you to control the dark side of your new abilities."

"Help me with my powers first, and THEN I'll be your apprentice," Nick stated.

Tabuu simply nodded, holding his hands out.

All of a sudden, Nick's blood-red eyes shifted back to their normal brown hue, and Nick suddenly felt relaxed, yet more powerful at the same time.

"There. I upheld my end of the bargain," Tabuu stated. "Now come along, my apprentice."

Nick's expression suddenly became a vicious grin.

"I'll reiterate what Senna said. You can go straight to hell."

Not wasting any time, Nick channeled his newfound power into his Buster Sword, and with one mighty slash, sliced right through Tabuu.

"You..." was Tabuu's last word as he disintegrated on the spot.

Nick smirked, looking towards the horizon.

_I'm so sorry... Yuki-chan... I... I love you..._


	3. Act 3: Rosary of Depair

Act 3: Rosary of Despair

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Nick-kun?"

Yuki looked around desperately, hoping to catch even a glance of her brother.

"Nick-kun? Where are you?"

She sighed, hanging her head low.

_Nick-kun... I want to see you... Even if I can't forgive you... I don't want to be angry... I want... to be able to trust you..._

Tears soon gathered in her eyes.

"Nick-kun..."

She looked down, her eyes shut tightly.

_I still remember... _her mind mused._ I still remember a time I felt like this... When I lost Nick-kun... But... my heart's excited..._

_**Ta-thump.**_

_I don't like it..._

_**Ta-thump.**_

_Nick-kun, you're making me feel so anxious!! I don't like that at all!!_

Yuki shook her head in vain.

_No... I... I remember another time..._

_(flashback)_

_A four-year-old Yuki could be seen crying her eyes out beside a broken jump-rope._

_A hand was soon extended towards her, making her perk up._

"_Nick-kun?"_

_Nick just grinned, ruffling his little sister's hair._

"_Come on... Okaa-san and otou-san are worried about you."_

"_You were it... I thought you would find me..." Yuki sniffled, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. "I... I was so worried and sad!!"_

"_You take everything so seriously..." her brother murmured as he held her hand, helping her up._

"_Come on, let's go home."_

_Yuki nodded, and smiled._

"_Okay!!"_

_(end flashback)_

Yuki stared at her hand, which felt so cold now...

_I wish... I wish I could hold Nick-kun's hand again..._

Her hand clenched, and she held it close, sniffling.

_I want to hold your hand, Nick-kun... Nick-kun..._

"_Yuki-chan... make sure you remember... I will ALWAYS love you, even though I can't protect you anymore..."_

_I guess..._

She looked up, tears still clouding her eyes.

"I guess... I'm 'it' now, Nick-kun... I WILL find you... No matter what it takes."

"Yuki-chan?"

"Huh?"

Yuki looked over towards Saiki who gave her a sad smile.

"Nick-kun's not here, either."

She nodded, walking up to him to lay her head on his chest.

"Saiki-kun... We'll find him won't we?"

Saiki nodded a bit, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-chan."

"I'm not even sure what you're apologizing for..." she muttered before looking up at him. "Saiki-kun... Will you do me a favor?"

Saiki's eyes widened with surprise but he nodded.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Give me a piggy-back ride."

Her boyfriend nodded again, turning around to hoist the black witch on his back, Yuki's arms wrapped around his neck automatically, and she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you."

Saiki smiled a bit, continuing off, thankful for Yuki's light and easy weight.

"What brought this on?"

"You know, back in the future... Satoshi-kun had to give me a piggy-back ride the whoooole way to Nick-kun." She smiled at the memory.

"Clumsy me with my twisted ankle..."

"Nice to see you two bonded." Saiki shook his head, and sighed.

"Nick-kun's carried me on his back before, too..."

"Did he, now?"

"Yes..."

Yuki buried her face beside her boyfriend's throat, breathing in lightly.

_Even now... I can remember how nice Nick-kun smelled... Saiki-kun... His scent is nice, too... And I feel warm again..._

"It was my fault, I fell out of a tree."

"What in the world were you doing in a tree?" Saiki asked, too serious to be joking.

"Delivering baby birdie."

"Huh..."

"At first, Nick-kun looked so angry that he screamed... Then he just burst into tears and rushed me to the nearest hospital... On _foot_. It was a long way, but Nick-kun was really fast..."

"You must have scared him quite a lot..." Saiki noted before shuddering himself at the mental image.

Yuki nodded mindlessly.

"... Saiki-kun?"

"Do you not forgive me either, Yuki-chan?" Saiki asked in a quiet voice, almost below a whisper.

"Forgive you? _Why_?"

"Wasn't I the reason Nick-kun..." Saiki stopped, feeling Yuki's thumb against his lips.

"Saiki-kun's okay. I'm just happy Saiki-kun's okay."

She looked over his shoulder and bit her lip, paying close attention to his bandaged hand.

"You're still hurt."

"Just a small cut is all... His sword wasn't that sharp, but..."

Saiki paused, looking away.

"But... It's nothing compared to what you went through... Yuki-chan, that attack wasn't going to kill me... Severely injure, yes... But... At the last minute... I..."

"It doesn't matter."

"Huh?"

"Even if Saiki-kun was going to protect himself, how can you say that?"

Yuki nuzzled her cheek to his throat, kissing his cheek.

"I couldn't let Nick-kun hurt Saiki-kun anymore... Not even a little tiny bit."

"But, Yuki-chan..."

"It's alright."

_We'll find Nick-kun... I swear it._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"You're... you're not mad at him, are you, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki just shook her head.

"Even though I can't forgive what he tried to do to you... I still love him. Why... why did he leave me, Saiki-kun?!"

Yuki started crying again. Saiki did what he could to console her as he explained. "Nick-kun just feels guilty for hurting you like he did. I'm willing to bet he's trying to find a way to keep those powers of his under control..."

Yuki suddenly snapped up. "Wait!! What if Tabuu finds him?! We've gotta hurry, Saiki-kun!!"

Saiki just nodded, rushing down the road with the kids in tow.

"I'm... I'm worried about otou-san..." Sakura stated, tears still filling her eyes.

"Hey, hey, we'll find Nick-jii-chan. I promise," Mana responded, letting her hand rest on Sakura's shoulder.

"You sure know how to make people feel better, Mana-chan," Sakura giggled, kissing Mana on the cheek.

"Just something I picked up from _okaa-chan_!!" Mana responded.

"He's here somewhere... there's this wicked dark energy that's keeping me from making a pinpoint location of him..." Saiki noted.

"Dark energy?" Yuki wondered. "Is it Tabuu?"

Saiki shook his head in honest surprise. "No, it's not... to tell you the truth, I can't sense Tabuu's aura anywhere... did Nick-kun finish him off?"

"REALLY?!" Satoshi exclaimed. "I didn't think he'd go down so easily... I guess Nick's stronger than we thought he was, huh?"

"To be perfectly honest, Nick-kun never liked those powers... the last time he lost control of them, he nearly put a hole through our house... he didn't hurt me then, in case you're wondering, Saiki-kun..." Yuki explained. "Every day since he discovered those powers, he's been trying to find a way to get rid of them..."

(flashback)

"_WHOA..." Yuki stated upon reaching the bottom step. There was complete havoc downstairs as Nick continued to thrash about, apparently having lost control of his Dark Dragon powers again._

"_NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki exclaimed._

_The instant Nick heard that, he turned around and noticed his sister standing there. That instant, his eyes returned to their normal brown hue._

"_Uh... Yuki-chan, what just happened?" Nick wondered, just then noticing all the chaos around him. "I lost control again, didn't I?"_

"_Yeah, you did," Yuki admitted. "But you didn't hurt anybody this time. Just the furniture."_

_Nick breathed a sigh of relief, reverting to his normal self. "That's good. I don't know what I'd do if I hurt you or anyone close to me because of these stupid powers..."_

_Yuki just shook her head and walked up to throw her arms around her big brother. "Don't worry, Nick-kun. If you ever do lose control again, just think about me, and you'll be able to find your way through the darkness. Okay?"_

_Nick just smiled, returning his little sister's embrace. "Got it, Yuki-chan."_

(end flashback)

"I'm so worried, Saiki-kun... we've gotta find Nick-kun as fast as we can!!"

Saiki just nodded. "I'm more worried about what he's going to do to me if he sees me again... he's already pissed off at me..."

Yuki shook her head feverishly. "Let's work that out when we find him!! Maybe we can get you two to agree to a truce of some sort, but let's leave that until we find him, okay?"

Saiki nodded, increasing his speed.

_I hope Yuki-chan's going to be okay..._ Senna thought. _I don't like seeing tears stain such a pretty face..._

_Nick-kun..._ Yuki thought. _I... I love you... Please wait for me... I'm so sorry... please... please still be there... I don't want to lose you, either..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick continued to follow the pathways up ahead, trying to think of something to do.

_I want to go back to being Yuki-chan's protector like I always have been... but I can't do that as long as I have these stupid powers inside of me... for once, Saiki-kun was right about something... I guess he knew why I never liked him in the first place... I just hope he's taking good care of Yuki-chan right now..._

All of a sudden, Nick involuntarily transformed into his Dark Dragon form, his now blood-red eyes shining with malice.

Just then, his eyes flashed back to normal. Nick was apparently fighting his hardest not to lose control of himself.

"No... I won't lose myself to you... I WON'T LOSE CONTROL!!!" Nick screamed, an aura of both darkness and light exploding from him.

When Nick was able to regain enough of his vision, he noticed something that really freaked him out: standing in front of him was a direct replica of himself in his Dark Dragon form, red eyes, Buster Sword and everything.

The only differences Nick could spot on this duplicate was the different emblem on the Buster Sword, and that the other's hair was much more messy.

"It feels good to be out of that stuffy body," the other Nick stated in an evil-sounding voice.

"All right, I want some answers," Nick shot back to his evil self. "Just who the hell are you?!"

"I'm you, basically," the evil Nick replied. "But I'm not going to go by your name as well. That would be too cliché for my own good. You may refer to me as Yami."

"Not surprised in the least," Nick stated sarcastically.

"I am your dark side, personified by your loss of control of your Dark Dragon powers," Yami responded. "Since I DO have complete control of them, I can do whatever I please with them."

Nick's eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates as he realized what Yami was talking about. "Don't even think about it," Nick growled. "I don't want you going anywhere near my sister. My life's already screwed up enough as it is. I don't want my dark side destroying the last precious thing in my life."

"But it would be so much fun," Yami sneered. He was apparently getting quite a kick out of seeing Nick so pissed off. "Such a nice, supple body for me to ravage with my blade..."

That was about all Nick could take. Completely losing his rather short temper, Nick summoned Hanyou Hikari and brandished it in front of Yami, taking the dark being by surprise.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT YUKI LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!" Nick screamed, slicing forward and missing Yami by only a quarter of an inch.

"I swear to god, if I hear you talking about my sister one more time, I'm going to kill you," Nick growled.

"NOW the kid shows some backbone," Yami taunted.

"I already lost my sister once. I'm NOT going to lose her again, ESPECIALLY not to you!!!" Nick screamed, charging for Yami.

"Oh, I see you wish to fight me," Yami stated, readying his Buster Sword.

Nick started off with a leaping slash from Hanyou Hikari, but that was easily blocked by the Buster Sword.

"You really have no idea who you're messing with, kid," Yami taunted, holding his Buster Sword behind him and rushing forward super-fast.

"Where are you, you bastard?!" Nick challenged, only to be slashed at by Yami as the dark being zipped about, delivering multiple blade strikes each time he passed by Nick.

"O brilliant blade of coldest steel... rend the infinite light... and crush my enemies to nothing!!" Yami chanted, his blade beginning to glow.

"_SAVAGE DARK WRATH!!!"_

Yami finished his attack by performing a powerful downward slash with his glowing Buster Sword that sent Nick crashing to the ground, the damage evident.

"You were a fool for crossing me," Yami taunted.

However, to Yami's surprise, Nick got to his feet rather easily.

"You still stand?!" Yami exclaimed.

"I'm made of tougher stuff than you think I am, dark boy," Nick shot back, shrugging off the damage and rushing forward.

"_Style Change!! Fighter Style!!"_ Nick chanted, a green bandana appearing around his forehead and fighting gloves appearing on his hands.

"You think a little wardrobe change is going to stop me?" Yami snickered, only to be cut off when Nick slammed his gloved hand into Yami's face.

"_Mystic Arte!! Dragon Rage!!"_ Nick chanted, activating his newest Mystic Arte. Not wasting a single second, Nick lashed out with a flurry of rapid-fire martial arts attacks before finishing it up with a powerful uppercut that knocked Yami into the air. Nick followed this up by leaping into the air after Yami, his right fist glowing with a bright light. Taking his chance, Nick slammed his glowing fist into Yami's stomach, creating a dragon made of pure magical energy that slammed Yami nito a nearby building and caused a lot of damage.

It was at this point that Yuki, Saiki, Senna, Momoko, and the kids appeared on the scene, Nick completely oblivious to any of this as he continued to do battle with Yami.

"What the hell?!" Yuki exclaimed. "There's TWO of Nick-kun?!"

"But which one's the Nick we know?" Momoko wondered.

Saiki focused his senses, eventually pointing to the Nick in his street clothes.

"It's the one in his normal clothes!! That's the Nick-kun we know!!" Saiki exclaimed.

"But... who's the other Nick, then?" Senna wondered, a little worried.

"Wait a minute... I think I remember this thing..." Mana stated.

At this odd conversation, Nick spun around, finally noticing that everyone had just arrived.

Nick didn't even realize how long he and Yuki were staring into each other's eyes.

_I'm so sorry, Nick-kun,_ Yuki thought, as if she was actually conveying these thoughts to her brother.

_I'm the one who should be sorry, Yuki-chan,_ Nick thought, as if he was reading his sister's thoughts.

In their reverie, Nick almost forgot that Yami was still there.

"Ah, the prodigical sister arrives," Yami sneered. "I finally get to ravage your supple body with my blade."

Yami began a charge towards Yuki, but was just as quickly stopped by Nick.

"Nick-kun?" Yuki asked in a bit of confusion.

"I said stay away from my sister, jerk!!!" Nick screamed, deflecting Yami's blade away and knocking the dark being back a few feet.

"Oh, come on. You always want to ruin my fun," Yami snickered. "You need to learn patience, boy."

"Don't even start on that!!" Nick shot back, swinging Hanyou Hikari and just barely missing Yami. "I may be impatient, but that's kept me alive so far, hasn't it?!"

Yami just smirked. "I'm not saying anything like that, am I? Let's see how high and mighty you are after this!!"

Yami's Buster Sword began glowing with a bright light. Nick recognized this as the attack he'd used against Saiki not too long ago.

"Eat this, boy!! _Heavenly Tempest!!!_" Yami chanted, thrusting his Buster Sword down and unleashing a whirlwind of dark energy at Nick.

Nick sliced through the dark tornado with Hanyou Hikari and brought the weapon behind him.

"Take this!! _DIAMOND SPARK!!!_" Nick exclaimed, slamming Hanyou Hikari to the ground and unleashing a wave of crystallized magical energy that struck Yami hard and mercilessly.

"Please, boy. You'll need to do better than that!!" Yami sneered. "I guess if you won't take our battle seriously, I should probably do something else to get you to focus."

At that, Nick grabbed Yami by his shirt collar and slammed him into the nearby wall. "I'm only going to say this one more time, you little bastard. You had better stay the hell away from Yuki-chan if you know what's good for you. I love her too much to let freaks like you do whatever the hell you want!! This is the last time I'm going to tell you."

Yuki was touched by that simple statement.

"Now things get interesting," Yami proclaimed, swinging his Buster Sword and just barely missing Nick by an inch.

"You're getting distracted, dark boy," Nick shot back.

"Well, well," Yami noted. "I guess my time here is up. See you around, boy."

With that, Yami walked forward and into a portal of darkness.

Yuki realized what Nick was about do. Jumping off of Saiki's back, she began rushing towards Nick; no way was she going to lose him again.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Get back here, coward!!" Nick shouted towards the retreating Yami. "I'm not done with you yet!!"

Nick was about to follow Yami into the portal in hopes of settling this matter, but was stopped short when the portal closed and he heard Yuki's voice.

"NICK-KUN, WAIT!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_Nick-kun..."_

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Nick blinked, Yuki's voice registering in his ears.

"_Nick-kun... Don't go."_

His eyes open, and he saw Yuki again, but everything else was blank.

"_Nick-kun..."_

She was smiling at him, her arms folded delicately behind her back.

"_Nick-kun..."_

He blinked again, and her smile widened, her brown eyes sparkling to add to the angelic image.

"_Nick-kun... Please come back to me."_

_Yuki-chan..._

He shut his eyes tightly.

_YUKI-CHAN!!_

"NICK-KUN!!"

His eyes snapped open, freeing him from the reverie. Yuki stood from him, her hands to her heart as her eyes filled with tears.

"Ni... Nick-kun?"

"_Nick-kun... Please come back... I want you here... With me..."_

Nick's eyelids lowered, turning dazed.

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

"Nick-kun?" his sister wondered again, taking a shaky step forward.

Nick took a step closer as well...

"Yuki-chan!!"

...Only to stop dead in his tracks when Saiki rushed up to Yuki, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Saiki-kun..." the black witch murmured, clearly surprised.

Nick blinked in confusion before Saiki looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Nick-kun... Good to see you're alright."

"_The only thing I can't trust you with is Yuki-chan..."_

"_...I don't take lightly to ANYONE harming someone precious to me, whether they're in their right mind or not."_

"_I was right."_

The green witch flinched, and quickly took off, disappearing.

"NICK-KUN, WAIT!!" Yuki screamed, rushing forward to no avail. "Nick-kun... NICK-KUN!!"

No reply.

She fell to her knees, clearly in shock.

_I lost him... I lost Nick-kun AGAIN..._

Tears gathered in her eyes.

_Oh, Nick-kun..._

Saiki however, took caution, looking down with an uncertain expression.

_The second Nick-kun and I met eyes... He seemed to recall what happened earlier... I just can't get how shocked he looked at how I..._

His grip lessened, and he bowed his head, emotion clouding his eyes.

_I told him myself that he wouldn't be able to understand anything the way he is... Yet, I'm guilty of not being able to understand him myself._

Saiki glanced at Yuki, and shakily stumbled a bit forward.

_Yet... The one thing we share in common..._

"Yuki-chan, are you alright?"

Yuki perked up, staring at him with tear-filled eyes.

"S-Saiki-kun..."

Quickly enough, she got up, rushing into his arms.

"Oh, Saiki-kun!!"

"There, there..." he murmured, stroking her long, black hair.

_The one thing Nick-kun and I are alike in..._

Saiki looked down at Yuki, and lightly pressed his lips to the top of her head.

_...That would be our feelings towards Yuki-chan. We both want to protect her..._

"S-Saiki-kun... Nick-kun... I... I..." Yuki muffled another sob against his chest, clinging to his shirt.

"Shh..." he murmured, stoking her cheek.

_And it's Yuki-chan that keeps us either at truce or trying to rip each other's throats out... Even if Yuki-chan wasn't in our lives... I don't think we'd get along any better than this..._

His eyelids lowered, and he couldn't help but sigh.

_I can't blame him if he hates me... I hate myself..._

Senna sighed, folding her arms.

"Will someone mind telling me what's going on?"

"I... I really have no idea..." Kurumi started, sweatdropping a bit.

_Two of Nick-kun... And... One of them was evil... Sure Yuki-chan and I look alike ourselves, but that's by coincidence... Isn't it?_

She huffed, folding her own arms.

_Something about this... It feels so familiar..._

"Mana-chan, do you know?" Satoshi asked, a bit curious.

Mana nodded. "Unfortunately... This isn't good..."

Her brother perked up, surprised.

"How?"

"Otou-san..." Sakura murmured, tears filling her own eyes.

"There, there... Sakura-chan, we'll find Nick again for sure..." Momoko murmured, holding her future daughter close.

"If only there were some way to sense Nick-jii-chan..." Mana muttered, shaking her head. "Satoshi-kun, we need to find him..."

Satoshi just nodded.

"Right... Find Nick... For Yuki-chan's sake..."

He glanced at Yuki, and sighed.

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

Kurumi suddenly walked to a nearby tree, making Senna perk up.

"Kurumi-chan?"

"I'm going out." The gray witch stated coolly before disappearing in a flash.

"Wait, Kurumi-chan!!" Senna called out, shocked before she fell to her knees herself. "Kurumi-chan..."

She looked down.

_Just what is going on...?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"That look in Saiki-kun's eyes..." Nick wondered. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's still mad at me. I guess I deserve it for what I did..."

_Yuki-chan... I love you so much... if only I trusted myself..._

Nick looked up into the sky.

_I guess that's one of the reasons I never liked Saiki-kun in the first place... because we're so different... the only thing we have in common is our feelings towards Yuki-chan... we both want to protect her with our lives... but Saiki-kun and his fortune-teller talk... I never wanted to attack him in the first place... but those things he said... they just made me snap..._

Nick looked back towards where the others were.

_I don't like seeing Yuki-chan so scared... just like when those damn powers first surfaced..._ Nick thought.

(flashback, Yuki's P.O.V.)

_Wait a minute. Why isn't Nick rushing up to me like he always does whenever I get attacked?_

_I looked up towards my brother..._

_...and I immediately knew something was wrong._

_Nick had just drastically changed. He was wearing what appeared to be a blue shirt with a black scarf around his neck, black and yellow-striped shorts that formed a sort of cape on the outside, and dark brown hiking boots, but that wasn't what caught my eye._

_What DID catch my eye was the fact that instead of Hanyou Hikari, Nick was wielding a sword similar to the one I'd seen in my dream, and also..._

_...instead of the comforting shade of brown I was so used to, my brother's eyes were now a terrifying shade of dark red._

"_You... how DARE you strike down my sister?!" Nick exclaimed in a voice that clearly wasn't his own. This was scaring me... what just happened to Nick?_

_Before I could get my bearings back, Nick charged forward, slashing viciously towards Nazo and creating a rather deep gash._

_Fear immediately flickered over Nazo's face. "Crap... he's awakened much earlier than we projected..."_

_Nick paid no heed to this, lashing out with a series of a multiple strokes from his weapon, each strike causing quite a lot of damage, as far as I could tell._

_Just then, Nick leaped back, his weapon at the ready._

"_This... is the final strike!!" Nick proclaimed, jumping into the air and bringing his weapon down quite hard, straight through Nazo. Thankfully, I didn't see any blood or anything like that coming from that attack, because once Nick struck the final blow, my vision went white for a few seconds. When I could see clearly, Nazo was nowhere to be found._

_Nick sheathed his weapon, then turned to look at me. That menacing grin... I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life._

_I immediately fell to the ground, afraid of what was going to happen as he inched closer to me..._

(end flashback)

_I'm just glad I managed to get myself under control before things got worse..._ Nick thought, a few tears falling from his chocolate brown eyes.

"Well, well, boy," Yami's voice rang out. "I thought you'd be reunited with your sis by now."

Nick tried his best not to lose composure as Yami appeared again, still clutching his Buster Sword.

"You should know why that is, freak," Nick shot back. "Unless she says that she wants to see me again, I'm not going to leave that burden on her..."

Yami just snickered. "Why don't you introduce me to her? I would take good care of her."

Nick spun around at this, brandishing Hanyou Hikari. "I don't want you touching her, freak. I already warned you."

Yami sneered. "Look, it's obvious that you're not fit to be the protector to someone so cute and supple."

"I SAID STOP TALKING ABOUT MY SISTER LIKE THAT!!!" Nick screamed, losing his temper and slashing forward with Hanyou Hikari, just barely nicking Yami in the chest.

"Lucky strike, boy," Yami recalled, readying his Buster Sword. "I wouldn't try something like that if I were you."

"Oh, now you're MOCKING me?!" Nick shot back, spinning Hanyou Hikari in his hands.

"_Aura Crescent!!"_

Nick then drew a circle of light with Hanyou Hikari and, after his command, slashed through the middle of the circle, unleashing hundreds of energy blades. Yami easily blocked them all, charging for Nick.

"Feel my wrath, boy!!" Yami exclaimed.

"_Style Change!! Aquatic Style!!"_ Nick shouted, performing Style Change and gaining what appeared to be a trident.

"What do you plan to do with that? Poke me?" Yami sneered, only to be shut up when Nick slammed his new trident right onto Yami's head.

"_Mystic Arte!! Poseidon's Wrath!!"_ Nick chanted, an energy ball forming over Yami, eventually dowsing him with a giant flood of water. Not a second later, a concentration of aqua-blue lightning shot from the sky and surrounded Yami, consistently electrocuting the dark being.

"Cheap move, boy," Yami growled.

"Hey, I take what I can get," Nick teased.

"NICK-KUN!!!!"

Nick spun around at this, noticing that Yuki and the others had caught up again.

"So she returns," Yami sneered, reaching out for the black witch, only to be once again stopped by a slash from Hanyou Hikari.

"I'm not going to tell you this again, freak show," Nick growled. "This is your last warning. Stay away from Yuki-chan if you know what's good for you."

Yami just grinned evilly. "So, next time, then?"

With that, Yami disappeared through another dark portal.

Nick was about to give chase, only for Yuki's voice to stop him short again.

"NICK-KUN, WAIT!!!"

Yuki began rushing towards Nick. _No WAY am I losing Nick-kun a third time!!_

Nick had no idea what to do, until Yuki rushed into his arms, nearly causing both of them to fall to the ground.

"Please, Nick-kun... please don't leave me anymore... I don't want to lose you again..."

"But Yuki-chan... I..."

"But nothing, Nick-kun!! I don't want you to leave my side anymore... it's too painful to know I've lost you..."

Before Nick could say another word, Yuki simply tightened her embrace, not wanting to let her brother go.

"Yuki-chan... I almost killed you back there!! What makes you think I have any right to be near you?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Because you're my brother, Nick-kun!!" Yuki responded, tears running down her face. "That incident changes NOTHING!!! I still don't like that you attacked my Saiki-kun, but I understand why!! Please... I don't want you to leave, Nick-kun..."

"Yuki-chan, I lost control of my powers and I nearly killed you!!! My own sister!! What kind of brother does that?!" Nick demanded, starting to cry a bit himself.

Yuki just frantically shook her head. "I don't CARE about that!!! What matters is that you're sorry, and I forgive you for THAT!! I... I just want you back with me, Nick-kun..."

Yuki was on the verge of a total breakdown by this point. "Please, Nick-kun... I just want you back..."

Nick was completely stunned by this show of emotion. "So... you're not mad?"

"I don't like that you attacked my boyfriend, but I could NEVER be mad at you, Nick-kun... please understand that..."

"But WHY, Yuki-chan? Why are you so forgiving even when I tried to attack your boyfriend and almost killed you?! I don't understand it... WHY?!"

Yuki smiled. "Because I love you, Nick-kun."

Nick perked up at that.

"Remember when ­_okaa-sama_ died? We promised that we'd stay strong for each other's sake..." Yuki explained. "This changes nothing, Nick-kun. We have to keep going... for our sake."

Yuki looked up and kissed her brother on the forehead. "I love you, Nick-kun."

And with that, Nick couldn't take it anymore, bursting into tears and burying his head in Yuki's shoulder, leaving the black witch to softly stroke her brother's hair.

"I... I love you, too, Yuki-chan... I'm so surprised you'd forgive me so easily..."

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Nick-kun."

"Why are YOU sorry? I'M the one who should be saying that..."

"We've all got our own problems, but as long as we stick together, we can get through it, okay?"

Nick just nodded. It was then that he noticed Saiki talking to Senna.

"Speaking of Saiki-kun... I think I may need to stay a good distance from him for a bit. I don't want to risk a repeat of what happened before..."

"Don't worry, Nick-kun. I can keep him at bay until you've settled down enough to trust him again, okay?"

Nick nodded again.

"There's still one thing I want to know, Nick-kun... why DID you attack Saiki-kun like you did?"

"Some of the things he said to me... they just made me snap... and it takes a LOT to make me crack, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki just nodded.

"Nick-kun... promise me you'll never leave me again..."

"I promise, Yuki-chan."

Yuki smiled brightly. _"Yokatta..."_

The two siblings embraced each other one more time.

"I love you, Nick-kun..."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki perked up at the sight, sighing.

_It's a good thing... If he avoids me for a while..._

Senna perked up as well, smiling brightly.

"It's a good thing Yuki-chan's smiling again, isn't it?"

The wizard nodded at the seemingly simple statement.

_My thoughts exactly..._

He suddenly frowned, uncertainly flashing through his expression.

_But..._

He turned to Yuki again, sighing at the sight at her relieved smile, tears still budding in her eyes.

_Yuki-chan..._

His fists clenched.

_What can I...do?_

Momoko let out a sigh of relief.

"Good thing... I was really worried..."

Kurumi just nodded as she walked up, before turning thoughtful.

_It IS a good thing, but still..._

She bit her lip, tensing up.

_But... What about the other Nick-kun? I'm just so confused, and yet..._

Her eyelids lowered, and her expression turned worried.

_Moriko-chan... Akemi-chan... Where are you two_?

"Hey... Mana-chan?"

"Yeah? What is it, onii-chan?"

"Um..."

Satoshi blushed lightly, bowing his head.

"I just don't understand what's going on anymore..."

_But what I DO understand... We're going to be in a lot of a trouble... I just know it._

Mana's eyes widened slowly, and she blushed herself.

_Oh, Satoshi..._

"Very typical."

_Don't get so stressed... I can't imagine seeing that on otou-chan again..._

Her eyes darted to Saiki, who was still a bit down.

_Daddy... I love you so much... And yet... I had no idea how much you were suffering..._

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura perked up, darting her gaze to her younger cousin.

"Yes? What is it, Mana-chan?"

Mana smiled weakly.

_Sakura-chan..._

"Um... About what happened between Nick-jii-chan and otou-chan..."

"Huh?"

Sakura's eyes widened.

_Mana-chan..._

"...You shouldn't worry. After all, our parents' issues don't have to do with us at all, right?"

She glanced at Satoshi.

"Satoshi-kun could have told you that."

Satoshi just flustered, and nodded.

"Y-Yes... Sakura-chan's right."

Mana nodded slowly.

"Oh... Okay."

_But... Is it wrong to carry your parents' burdens on your shoulders?_

Her smile turned sad.

_I do not want to be... a bad child._

Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed.

_Oh otou-chan... Oh, okaa-chan..._

She glanced at Yuki, and huffed.

_My okaa-chan... She's so unaware, so innocent... I never once would have thought that..._

Senna perked up herself.

_You know... Now that I think about it..._

"Hey... Nick?"

Nick perked up, separating from his sister.

"Senna-chan?"

Senna sighed, folding her arms.

"What was the deal... with that other you? He certainly wasn't as friendly as the other two Yuki-chans we met."

"Mana-chan's her daughter... and it's coincidence," Kurumi corrected, sweatdropping a bit.

Still, Nick's eyes jolted wide at that.

_Yami..._

He snarled, already angered.

"_Right_, the guy I need to go kill."

Yuki perked up.

_Nick-kun... He's already angry..._

She glanced at Saiki.

_Saiki-kun... Perhaps he would know a thing or two... But... Nick-kun and Saiki-kun aren't on good terms... Still..._

The black witch bit her lip, huffing herself.

_If I have just Nick-kun, that's not enough. If I have just Saiki-kun, then that's not enough, either. I have to have them BOTH._

She smirked a bit at that, giggling.

_I'm greedy that way._

The black witch got up.

"One second, Nick-kun!!"

"Huh? Yuki-chan?" was all Nick could state before she just grinned at him.

_I gotta do this right._

Yuki rushed up to Saiki, surprising him.

"Um... What is it, Yuki-chan?" he asked, a bit confused.

His girlfriend put on her most charming and irresistible smile, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Saiki-kun _dear_..."

Saiki blushed, but nodded to signal her to continue.

"...Right. Do Nick-kun a favor and tell him how to defeat that bad Nick-kun."

The younger prince's eyes jolted wide.

_...Wait, what?_

He sighed, completely confused.

"Yuki-chan... What do you mean?"

"You saw that bad Nick-kun earlier!" she chirped. "Help Nick-kun, come on!!"

_The bad... Nick-kun?_

He lightly gasped.

_Wait!! She means that dark aura... But... I don't know how..._

"...Saiki-kun?"

"Huh?"

He stared at her, and she put her hands together, pleading,

"Please... Help my onii-chan... It's the least you could do for me... I'm begging you! Saiki-kun knows something, doesn't he? He's supposed to know everything!!"

_Everything?_

He slowly smirked.

_I know everything... Yet I don't know anything. I'm always right... Yet I'm always wrong. I always have an idea... Yet I'm always stumped on what to do next. But..._

He smiled, patting her head.

_But I'm not letting Yuki-chan down._

"I'll try my hardest Yuki-chan. I can promise you that."

She smiled brightly.

_Saiki-kun..._

Saiki looked ahead at Nick, gulping.

_I've never felt like such an insecure child... But in a way..._

His eyelids lowered, and he closed them, smiling.

_But in a way... I want to be able to help him. Despite what I've said to him, despite what he's said about me, despite everything..._

A light laugh escaped his lips.

_We both want the same thing more than anything._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"I don't know much about whoever that other Nick-kun was..." Saiki noted. "But if he's anything like the genuine article, I'm pretty sure that the real Nick-kun is the only person who can defeat the fake one."

"That's kinda what I figured," Nick responded. "After all, that freak is apparently my dark side."

"But why were you so angry when you mentioned him, Nick-kun?" Yuki wondered, holding Nick's hands softly.

"That little freak just said some things that drove me crazy... especially after everything that had happened... he said some things about my sister that nearly made me lose control again..."

Nick clenched his fists so tightly that he nearly drew blood.

_I'm not going to let that little rat bastard do whatever he wants... no way in hell am I letting him near my sister..._

"Will you be okay, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked.

Nick shook his head a few times to clear his mind.

"I just can't let what he said get to me, that's all," Nick replied. "I can't afford to lose anyone precious to me again."

Yuki just nodded, kissing Nick on the cheek.

Just then, Nick and Saiki were nearly knocked to the ground by a pulsing dark energy. Nick was the first to scramble to his feet and notice that a dark portal had just opened up in front of them.

"I'm guessing that we'll find Yami in there," Nick growled. "I guess if he's willing to invite us in, we'd best accept the invitation. I want to put an end to that freak once and for all."

Just then, Nick felt Yuki tugging on his shirt sleeve.

"Nick-kun, could I talk to you in private?"

Nick just nodded, letting his little sister lead him somewhere private.

Once it was just the two of them, Yuki smiled.

"Nick-kun, do you know how happy I am that you're back with me?"

"I can probably imagine."

"You know I could never be mad at you for ANYTHING... not a thing, Nick-kun... but you got angry at me once..."

"That was just something trivial... I was more worried that you were hurt after falling out of that tree..."

"It was just a sprained ankle... I'm just glad you got me to the hospital..."

Nick moved to draw his sister into a hug. "I was so worried, Yuki-chan..."

"It's all right, Nick-kun. I told you I forgive you for that."

"Is it going to take a little longer for what I tried to do to your boyfriend?"

"...I'll get back to you on that, okay?"

Yuki just giggled.

"Yuki?"

The black witch perked up at this. Never once had Nick called her by her name without the honorifics.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry..."

Yuki just giggled.

"Nick, what did I say? I forgave you for that... you don't have to worry about it..."

"Still... I had no right to do that to you... it just isn't right..."

Yuki leaned over and kissed Nick on the lips for a couple seconds, just like he had after the incident had happened.

"Nick-kun, stop beating yourself up over it. I told you: it's okay. We'll get through this. I promise."

"Yuki-chan, do you realize how weird it is for the little sister to be comforting the big brother?"

Yuki just giggled at this. "Trust me, Nick-kun, you get used to it. Leaf-chan said the same thing about her little brother not too long ago."

Neither of the two siblings knew how long they stayed in each other's arms like that.

"You ready, Nick-kun?"

"Yeah. Let's go kick that freak show where it hurts."

With that, the two siblings were up and ready to go.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you... oh, god, how do I say this without embarrassing myself?"

Thankfully, Nick seemed to be able to read what his sister wanted.

Yuki was trying to think of a way to word her request without sounding like a complete freak, but was cut off when Nick's hand encased her own, their fingers intertwining.

"Thank you, Nick-kun."

"No problem, Yuki-chan."

And so, the two walked back to the rest of the group, their hands entwined the whole way.

_His hand is so warm... thank you so much, Nick-kun._

"All right," Nick proclaimed. "Shall we, everybody?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Wow, this place is creepy," Momoko noted. This particular iteration of the dark realm looked very similar to where Nick and Yuki had fought Tabuu for the last time in the future. There was no ground, yet everyone appeared to be walking on something.

"It's not just creepy. THIS PLACE REDEFINES THE WORD CREEPY!!!" Senna exclaimed, waving her arms about.

"Oh, Senna-chan..." Sakura stated, a sweatdrop on her forehead.

"It kinda reminds me of limbo world," Mana noted.

"I really think we should focus on the task ahead," Satoshi responded. "No telling what's going to happen here..."

Yuki looked around the area, still holding Nick's hand. "I'm sensing this wicked dark energy... it's WAY stronger than mine..."

"That must mean that Yami's close by..." Nick responded. "When I find that little rat bastard..."

"NICK!! Watch your language around your sister!!" Senna chided playfully.

"It's okay, Senna-chan. I'm used to it," Yuki giggled. "I heard enough of it directed at the Delegates of Darkness..."

"They deserved every bad word I spouted at them for what they did to us," Nick noted with a hint of finality, to which Yuki just giggled again.

The cute moment was interrupted by a single word.

"_MAKURAYAMI!!!"_

The very next second, a massive dark energy ball crashed into whatever was the ground in this psychedelic setting, scattering the group.

"What the hell was that?!" Nick exclaimed, still holding Yuki's hand. He didn't need to ask himself that; there was only one person he knew that had that spell.

Nick shot a glare off at Saiki, but his anger faded when he saw Saiki's confused expression.

"Wait a minute. I think I know who that was. YAMI!! Come on out, you little coward!!!" Nick exclaimed, just then avoiding a slash from the Buster Sword while still keeping his hands entwined with Yuki's.

"Well, well," Yami sneered, his jet-black hair moving in an invisible wind. "You two finally reunited."

"You obviously don't know who you're messing with, freak," Nick stated, both he and Yuki rising into the air.

"That's right!! Nothing is going to separate me and Nick-kun anymore!! NOTHING!!!" Yuki exclaimed as she and her brother were covered with a bright light.

"_For one so brave for the sake of love... the Black Purifier of Courage, at your service!!"_

"_For one who never backs down in the face of challenge... the Green Purifier of Bravery, at your service!!"_

"Well, well, I guess this will be interesting after all," Yami snickered, readying his Buster Sword for battle.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Mana huffed, folding her arms.

"I sure hope okaa-chan and Nick-jii-chan win..."

Satoshi had to laugh at that.

_They just might..._

He smiled, looking up with sparkling brown eyes.

_I believe in both Nick and Yuki-chan..._

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Senna exclaimed, hands at the sides of her face. "DO YOUR BEST OKAY?! I'M ROOTING FOR YOU OVER HERE!!"

Yuki turned to her, and winked.

"No worries, Senna-chan!!"

"And that's when I worry the most..." Saiki muttered to himself, sighing.

Yuki perked up at this and smiled.

_Sheesh, Saiki-kun..._

Kurumi soon groaned, folding her arms, earning Saiki's attention.

"Kurumi-chan?"

"Saiki-kun, have you ever had a powerful _urge_ to do something, even though you _know_ it's wrong?" the model asked in a low voice, huffing.

The wizard's cheeks became a deep hue of red.

"Occasionally... From time to time."

The gray witch nodded at that, understanding.

"Has that urge ever had to do with that adorable girlfriend of yours?" she asked, her voice a bit joking now.

He nodded quickly, and shrugged.

"What of it, Kurumi-chan?"

"Let me guess, you don't succumb to those urges because you're sure Nick-kun will punch you?"

Now she was smiling.

Saiki himself waved his hand.

"I would have to be incredibly lucky if only _that_ happened."

Kurumi laughed at that, a sound that nearly shocked Senna.

"Kuru-Kurumi-chan?!"

The gray witch continued laughing so hard she cried, clutching at her sides. Saiki just stared at her if she was insane.

"Kurumi-chan? Was that really funny?"

Kurumi stifled a giggle, wiping a few tears from her eye.

"Just the way you said it... With a straight face... I thought you'd only see guys act that cool on TV or in criminal law..."

She smiled brightly, looking a bit like Yuki.

"I admire you for being able to admit that!!"

Saiki blushed a bit.

"Thanks... I guess."

Kurumi blushed herself, heart speeding up.

_Saiki-kun... I always did like you... But... Yuki-chan_...

"I wanted to join the fight."

"Huh?"

The younger prince stared at her, surprised. He then fought back a laugh.

"That's so like you, Kurumi-chan."

She nodded, grinning brightly.

"I like Yuki-chan and Nick-kun quite a lot. So I really want to help them, you see..."

"I understand. But due to freaking Yuki-chan out..." He sighed, making a face. "But I don't think Yuki-chan wants you in danger."

Kurumi huffed at this, before she smiled again, putting on the smile that she used to get whatever she wanted.

"Nick-kun and Yuki-chan need extra help though, _right_?"

"It wouldn't hurt..." Saiki mused softly turning to the battle himself, a bit longingly.

_When I said I wanted to switch places with Nick-kun... I really meant it... I meant that more than anything... And I said it without thinking..._

Kurumi made a "huh" sound, swaying side to side.

"So..."

"I don't give orders." He stated flatly, huffing. "I give advice, and I persuade... Heck, once or twice I may have to charm... But I don't order other people around... It's not something I can do."

_As a shadow... That's not my job._

Kurumi's expression turned surprised.

_Saiki-kun... I..._

Her eyelids lowered, hair falling over them.

_I never knew._

Senna fervently turned her head from the two to Yuki and back again.

_Why does everything have to be so confusing, huh?!_

Yuki suddenly flinched, grabbing Nick's attention.

"Y-Yuki-chan?!"

Yami smirked.

"The suffering of your loved ones... I never thought that cute and supple body of yours reacts like that..."

"Keep your damn hands off her!!" Nick exclaimed, charging to meet blades with his dark counterpart.

Yami just smirked.

"And you still let your temper get the better of you... This would have only been a good thing if you allowed yourself to kill the night elemental earlier..."

"No!" Yuki gasped, shocked. "Nick-kun, don't!!"

Nick growled. "I already promised Yuki-chan that I'd protect her... And I won't upset her... Not anymore."

"_How could you do that to Saiki-kun?!"_

_Not anymore... I won't make Yuki-chan look at me like that anymore..._

"_Why, Nick-kun?"_

_Yuki-chan..._

His eyes snapped wide, and he shoved Yami back, his sword glowing a emerald green.

"_Heavenly Tempest!!"_

The whirlwind exploded, Yami blocking with ease, smirking.

"Nick-kun..." Yuki murmured, before she bit her lip, eyes flashing.

_After that guy made that comment about Saiki-kun!! No way am I losing to him!!_

Saiki suddenly perked up.

"Huh... YUKI-CHAN, _ABUNAI_!!"

"Saiki-kun?"

Yuki snapped up before dark energy exploded behind her, her eyes blank.

"Yuki-chan, NO!!" both Nick and Saiki exclaimed, clearly in horror.

Yami smirked.

"Little girl... You're _mine_."

Mana suddenly snapped forward, surprising Satoshi.

"Mana-chan?!"

"I don't appreciate you harming my okaa-chan!!" she cried out, glowing a bright navy blue light.

Yami perked up, a bit confused.

"It isn't possible..."

"_For one who will always cherish those she loves..."_

To everyone's surprise, a uniform materialized on Mana's body, resembling Yuki's, her hair tied into two high ponytails.

"_The Royal Purifier of Truth, at your service!!"_

She saluted.

"The second night elemental born into this world, always ready!!"

Saiki's eyes slowly widened.

_She must have gotten that from..._

"Mana-chan, how?" Nick asked, confused. "Did you..."

"Like Sakura-chan, but better." Mana winked. "I'm a full-blood magic user. It's funner this way."

She snapped to attention.

"But, okaa-chan!! Is she..."

Mana frowned at the sight of Yuki, fallen over and unconscious.

Yami just smirked.

"A two for one..."

Nick growled, furious.

"Stay AWAY from Mana-chan!!"

Senna frowned.

_That guy..._

"I suggest listening to Nick-kun!!" a voice rang out, loud and forceful.

This made Kurumi snap up, grinning.

"Finally!!"

"We're so sorry to keep you waiting..." another voice continued, soft and sweet.

Nick's eyes widened.

_No way..._

"_For one who will do anything to protect her beloved..."_

"_For one with such a beauty and grace that will never falter..."_

A combination of a crystal and jade green light shined from above, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What?"

"_The Jade Purifier of Clarity, at your service!!"_

"_The Crystal Purifier of Elegance, at your service!!"_

Nick perked up, and smiled at the sight of Moriko and Akemi posing in their purifier uniforms, with Akemi's hair in two swirled up ponytails and Moriko's dark green hair let down to her shoulders.

"Mori-chan... Akemi-chan..."

"Yo."

Moriko winked while Akemi just giggled.

"We're here to help."

Kurumi beamed, glowing as well.

"_For one who would never betray her friends..."_

Her hair became its usual ponytail as she striked her pose.

"_The Gray Purifier of Loyalty, at your service!!"_

She saluted.

"No way am I being left out!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"You do realize that you're outnumbered, right, freak?" Nick challenged.

"I know, but I like a challenge," Yami sneered, ready for battle.

Just then, Yami started to vibrate, as if he was changing form or something.

Nick immediately tensed up; he could feel Yami's dark aura increasing in power quite rapidly.

_What is he up to?_ Nick wondered.

As it turned out, Nick didn't have to wait long for an answer as to what Yami was up to, because at that very second, Yami began changing.

"Nick-kun, what's happening?" Yuki wondered; it was easy to see that this sudden transformation was starting to freak her out.

"What's the matter? You SCARED?!" Yami taunted. "You should be. No one who has ever encountered my ascended form has lived to tell the story!! Prepare to face the full fury of the Hive Mind!!"

With those words, an explosion of dark energy erupted from Yami, blinding the entire party for a few seconds.

When Nick was able to see clearly again, he noticed that Yami had transformed into a hideous monster with a caterpillar-like body, five grotesquely enormous orange-yellow eyes, and numerous bulging tentacles that began slapping at random intervals.

Yuki immediately started shivering; that thing was obviously quite scary.

"I'll admit, he gets a few points for being intimidating," Nick teased. "But that's not going to stop me!!"

Yuki couldn't bring herself to even gaze at the Hive Mind, it was scaring her so badly.

But, when she felt a hand gently squeeze her own, she looked up at Nick, who was silently reassuring her.

_Of course... Nick-kun needs me... and I need him,_ Yuki thought. _We both need each other. I don't care HOW scary this freak is!! There's no way we're going to let each other down!!_

Yuki nodded to Nick, and the two tensed up, ready for battle.

Right behind them, Akemi, Moriko, Kurumi, and Mana, their Purifier outfits fluttering in the invisible breeze, all stepped up to join the siblings.

"HEY!!! Don't leave me out of the fun!!" Sakura exclaimed, rising into the air as well. This caused Momoko to gasp in shock.

"No WAY..." the yellow witch gasped.

"These kids are ALWAYS full of surprises, huh?" Yuki giggled.

As Sakura emerged from the cocoon of light surrounding her, she was now clothed in a orange-brown Purifier uniform, and her traditional twin ponytails were now joined together. She gave a cute wink before striking her post-henshin pose by standing on her tiptoes, throwing her left arm out and bending her right arm into a salute.

"_For someone who's ready to grab life by the short shorts and take the world head on... the Quartz Purifier of Sweetness, at your service!!!"_

Yuki couldn't help but giggle at Sakura's proclamation.

"Let's rock!!!" Sakura giggled.

_Reaching up for no man's land_

_To take a breath and take a chance_

_I walk a thousand nights to change the world_

Nick started the battle by holding his hands towards the Hive Mind and charging his Purifier energy.

"Eat this, freak!! _Azure Edge!!_" Nick chanted, unleashing a cutting wind blast that sliced at the Hive Mind, dealing a nice chunk of damage.

"Not bad, boy, but you'll have to do better than that!!" Yami's voice sneered as the Hive Mind reared back for another attack.

_Where to go? When to stop?_

_Who to trust? What to say?_

_Found them all, just need someone to share_

Yuki followed this attack up by releasing Shutsuga Tobiume and slashing rapidly, each strike digging into sensitive flesh. The Hive Mind roared in anger at this.

"If you wish to die before I can ravage your cute, supple body, black witch, that can be arranged," Yami sneered, lashing out with one of the Hive Mind's tentacles and grasping Yuki tightly.

Nick didn't waste any time in releasing Hanyou Hikari and leaping into the air, easily slicing the tentacle in half and forcing the Hive Mind to release Yuki.

Nick dived forward, easily catching his sister.

"You're going to pay DEARLY for that, Yami!!" Nick exclaimed. _"Style Change!! Sky Style!!"_

_It's now in the dusk every day to everyone_

_Ain't so strong, I ain't so strong to go_

Nick spread his new wings and took off, swiftly dodging the Hive Mind's attacks and diving in for an attack of his own, only to be slapped away by a rogue tentacle.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Cheap shot," Nick noted, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth.

"OOH, NOW you're asking for it, gross freak!! No one makes my brother bleed and gets away with it!!" Yuki screamed, bringing Shutsuga Tobiume behind her, the pronged blade glowing brightly.

Yuki then spun a complete 360 before slamming Shutsuga Tobiume into the ground, the impact creating a vertical blade of twilight energy that sliced into the Hive Mind.

_Living in life as it's not the way to live_

_I wish you could hear me say that I miss you_

"HEY!! Don't you DARE leave us out of the fun, Nick-kun!!" Moriko exclaimed. _"Style Change!! Flower Style!!"_

Responding to this call, Moriko was suddenly covered with VERY pretty flowers that made Akemi blush like mad.

Just then, completely surprising even Akemi, one of the flowers detached itself from Moriko and flew upwards, poking the Hive Mind in its center eye.

"Gotcha. _Mystic Arte!! Jade Storm!!_" Moriko chanted, razor-sharp flower petals raining down on the Hive Mind and causing considerable damage.

"I'll admit this," Yami snickered. "You people are actually a challenge for me. Now prepare to die!!"

_Why were we there back to back?_

_Why were we there face to face?_

_I must be the light when you're in the dark_

Akemi stepped up, her hands glowing a bright crystal-blue.

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

Akemi's attack froze the Hive Mind to the ground so Kurumi could step up, moving to join hands with Nick.

"_The spirits of the moonlit night..."_ Kurumi chanted.

"_The spirits of the morning mist..."_ Nick continued.

"_Together, the power of twilight will see what no one else is able to see!!"_

Nick and Kurumi were surrounded by a twilight energy aura.

"_Double Ojamajo Moonlight Blossom!!"_

The silhouette of a massive, purple-and-green flower appeared above Nick and Kurumi, which quickly discharged a powerful moonlight energy burst that damaged the Hive Mind quite a bit.

_If you lose me somewhere, and your tears are in the air_

_I will ring a bell until you feel me by your side_

"All right, Yami!! No more games!!" Nick exclaimed, holding his hand forward. Yuki was the first to pick up on the gesture, placing her hands on top of her brother's in a sweet gesture. Momoko was the next to follow through, along with Kurumi.

"_Moments that are like precious treasures that I want to go on collecting..."_ Yuki chanted, glowing a bright black.

"_Without revealing that irremovable wound in my heart, somehow managing to stay strong..."_ Kurumi continued, glowing a silvery gray.

"_Waiting for your delicate embrace, somehow managing to hold onto that wonderful happiness we shared..."_ Momoko chanted, glowing a golden yellow.

"_Until in the end, we can all get that well-deserved happy ending_," Nick finished, glowing a brilliant emerald green.

They all threw their hands up, their auras mixing as the Hive Mind tried to charge at the quartet, but realized that he still couldn't move from his spot thanks to being frozen in place by Akemi's Ojamajo Crystal Cannon.

_Why were we there back to back?_

_Why were we there face to face?_

_I must be the light when you're in the dark_

"_Without complexities, without fading and faltering, grant us the blessing and wish for something that is surely better than this ill-determined fate!!"_

They got close, their auras all pulsing like never before.

"_Ojamajo Perfect Purification!!"_

The four threw their joined hands towards the Hive Mind, discharging a massive, skyscraper-busting beam of rainbow energy that enveloped the Hive Mind, completely purifying it and leaving only a very surprised Yami.

"What?!" Yami exclaimed. "How could my ascended form be destroyed by a group of brats?!!"

"First time for everything, right, freak?" Nick shot back.

"Guess it's my turn," Yami sneered, gripping his Buster Sword.

_If I lose you somewhere, and I'm still hanging in there_

_I will ring a bell until you feel me by your side_

Before anyone could react, Yami charged forward, plunging his Buster Sword into Yuki's chest.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Nick nearly screamed, his right hand gripping Hanyou Hikari in anger.

"I told you I'd ravage that cute and supple body of yours before I killed you," Yami stated, laughing evilly. "And I intend to do just that."

Yami drove his Buster Sword further in, only increasing Yuki's agony. This was about all Nick could take.

"Such a pretty body," Yami teased. "It's a shame that it's going to be covered with your blood in a few seconds..."

Then, Yami began twisting the Buster Sword around, as if trying to prolong Yuki's agony.

"Nick-kun... help... please..." Yuki whispered, trying to be careful as she could so that sword didn't shred her up worse.

"I SAID GET OFF OF MY SISTER, JERK!!!" Nick screamed, swiftly knocking Yami away.

"Hold still, Yuki-chan," Nick asked, to which Yuki just nodded. Slowly but surely, Nick removed the Buster Sword and tossed it aside.

"Oh, my god!! Is Yuki-chan okay?!" Senna exclaimed, almost in tears.

"That damn sword of his didn't pierce anything vital," Nick stated, examining the wound. "I should be able to heal her."

Nick wasted no time in holding his hands out.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

Yuki's wound began glowing brightly before closing up and healing in a few seconds.

"Are you all right, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked.

Yuki answered by rushing into Nick's arms. The green witch simply returned his sister's embrace.

"It's okay, Yuki-chan. I'm here for you."

Nick shot a glare towards Yami. "And if YOU ever show your ugly face around here again, I swear I'm going to kill you for what you just did to my sister."

Yami just smirked to this. "Next time."

And with that, Yami disappeared.

Nick looked down at his shaking sister. "Yuki-chan?"

"Nick-kun, I know I say this too often, but that's why I say it so much in the first place... because I don't know how many chances I'll have to tell you..."

Yuki settled into her brother's embrace.

"Nick-kun... I love you..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Nick couldn't help but smile at that, stroking his sister's hair.

"I love you, too... Yuki-chan..."

Yuki smiled to herself as well.

_Nick-kun..._

Senna couldn't help but grin, relieved.

_Thank goodness..._

She sighed, shaking her head.

_Oh, Yuki-chan... What can I do?_

Mana let out a sigh of relief herself before clapping, giddy.

"It's so great we have Nick-jii-chan!!"

"Hah... Mana-chan, I could have told you that about otou-san..." Sakura muttered, folding her arms as she rolled her eyes.

Her cousin just stared before turning thoughtful.

"But... Yami still got away..."

"We'll find him." Sakura stated, looking content. "And then we'll make him pay."

"Oh Sakura-chan, don't act like it'll be easy! Otou-chan did say... That only Nick-jii-chan can defeat him..." Mana trailed off, looking down.

_What was he anyway? Otou-chan..._

She perked up, her navy eyes blank with thought.

_I don't know... If okaa-chan is ravaged... Then, of course I'll disappear, but I'm used to that..._

Her fingers tightened on her arm and she flinched.

_What I'm worried about... is onii-chan disappearing... And otou-chan getting hurt..._

Her eyelids lowered as her lips pursed.

_And Nick-jii-chan... If he loses control again... And if he hurts both okaa-chan AND otou-chan... I'll be forced to smack him._

She glanced quickly at Satoshi, who seemed to be thinking himself.

_Onii-chan... You've gotten over your feelings, right? What could possibly going on in that cute head of yours?_

She sighed again, blowing at her hair.

_Sheesh..._

"Mana-chan?" Sakura wondered, now worried.

Mana quickly turned, now smiling.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura blushed, shaking her head.

"No, it's nothing."

Satoshi perked up, surprised.

_Wait... Now I remember..._

His eyes darted to Saiki.

"O... Otou-san?"

Saiki immediately perked up, snapping his attention to Satoshi.

"What's wrong, Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi blushed darkly, looking down.

"There... There's something you need to know... about that guy... About Yami..."

Saiki's eyes widened, and he nodded.

"Sure, what is it, Satoshi-kun?"

His future son's blush deepened at that, and he made a "come here" motion with his fingers.

The younger prince blinked before nodding and obeying.

"Yes?"

"It's just that..." Satoshi quickly whispered the rest, Saiki just nodding every so often.

Moriko made a face as she watched the sight, huffing.

_What, Saiki-kun? What's the big secret?_

"Moriko-chan?"

"Huh? Oh Akemi-chan..." Moriko smiled radiantly at her childhood friend, earning a good blush. "What is it, dear?"

Akemi fiddled with her fingers.

"Is it safe? Should we stay this time? Shouldn't we get the others?"

Kurumi shook her head at this.

"No, Saiki-kun himself said that only Nick-kun can defeat him..." She folded her arms, positive. "The last thing I want is more people's lives in danger!!"

The two childhood friends just stared before Moriko spoke up,

"You... You're really going to take Saiki-kun's word for it?"

"Of course. Why?"

Moriko just smiled at that.

"I trust him, too... But... It was just the way you said it, like you were completely confident in his words."

Kurumi blushed a bit, sighing.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking... You're somewhere on the mark."

Akemi frowned.

"I worry about you, Kurumi-chan... After all, Moriko-chan and I... We've noticed how alone you usually are..."

A rough laugh escaped Kurumi's lips.

"Whereas... Yuki-chan's always got at least Nick-kun or Saiki-kun by her side... My, she's such a greedy girl. But I love her for that."

She shook her head.

"I have a crush on them... I'm the kind of girl who just belongs alone, I guess."

The model just smiled sadly, glowing a bit with her purifier's aura.

"I'm not going to do that. I'm gonna be with the people I love for as long as I want. Cause... I'm a greedy girl, too."

"Kurumi-chan..."

Moriko and Akemi just smiled a bit, nodding.

"We're happy for you, Kurumi-chan."

Kurumi nodded herself, turning to the two siblings still embracing.

"That girl... She sparkles like snow... And the last thing I want is to dirty that beautiful white color..."

Yuki separated from Nick, turning to Kurumi, a bit confused.

"Kurumi-chan?"

Kurumi just smiled, waving.

Yuki brightened up, and waved back.

"Yuki-chan?"

The black witch smiled brightly, turning over.

"Saiki-kun!!"

_...Huh?_

Her smiled disappeared at the sight of her boyfriend's blank expression, stone cold.

"S-Saiki-kun?" her voice wavered as her heart speed up. "W-W-What's wrong, Saiki-kun?"

Nick turned suspicious.

"Saiki-kun..."

Saiki sighed lightly, taking Yuki's arm in the gentlest manner possible.

"Think of it as a doctor's examination..." he muttered, setting the black witch down, her clinging to his sleeves.

Nick raised his eyebrows but he calmed down a bit.

Yuki buried her face in his chest, sighing.

"Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..."

"Shhhh..." Saiki murmured, stoking her hair. "Lay down."

The black witch nodded weakly, lying down on the smooth ground, sighing.

_What's going on... Saiki-kun...?_

She calmed down when Saiki brushed her face lightly with the back of his hand, lightly tapping her throat. Yuki gulped as he checked her pulse.

"Sai... Saiki-kun?"

"Stay _still_." Her boyfriend whispered harshly, running his fingers along her arm, sending shivers throughout her body.

"Saiki-kun," Nick stated in a warning voice, his fists tightening.

Saiki held up a hand, mouthing "wait".

Yuki blinked, gulping.

_Saiki-kun..._

The wizard delicately fingered her chest, stroking her side. Yuki gasped, trembling from his touch.

_Saiki-kun... Don't do this to me..._

Finally he pulled back, touching her cheek.

"She's fine." He smiled. "Breath, Yuki-chan."

Yuki took in a deep breath as she jolted up, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Don't do that... Saiki-kun..." she murmured against his throat, blushing feverishly.

Saiki let out a hollow laugh.

"Sorry... I didn't think you'd overreact like that."

Nick stepped up as Saiki helped his sister up. His smile vanished when he met Nick's eyes.

"Can I help you, Nick-kun...?"

"You still haven't learned, Saiki-kun..." Nick growled in response. Saiki merely smiled, shrugging.

"You haven't either." His voice was stiff. "I only worry."

Yuki yelped, already sensing the tension in the two boys' atmosphere.

"Nick-kun, no!" she exclaimed, spreading her arms out in front of Saiki. "Don't come near my Saiki-kun!!"

Nick calmed a bit, but shook his head.

"Sure, we could just talk this out..." his voice trailed off, a bit reluctantly as he was pretty sure Saiki would just scold him on his lack of patience.

"If Nick-kun will listen to reason," Saiki finished, huffing.

Momoko blinked, blushing darkly.

_Nick..._

Nick just nodded.

"Tell me everything."

Saiki glanced at Satoshi, and nodded.

"As you wish."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick still stood tense, though trying to keep himself under control to avoid a repeat of the situation from before.

"You've probably heard me say that Nick-kun is the only one who can defeat this Yami character, right?" Saiki asked. "Do you want to know why?"

Nick just nodded.

"Because Yami is basically Nick-kun's dark side."

Everyone was shocked at this.

"Nick-kun's... dark side?" Yuki wondered. "How is that possible?!"

"When Nick-kun first received those powers of his, I could sense something weird inside him. It felt like a powerful dark aura that was nearly as strong as Yuki-chan's dark power. That's what disturbed me. Every time Nick-kun changed into that form, the dark aura inside him would increase by a significant magnitude. I think that's what caused him to lose control every time he transformed."

"No WONDER I never liked those powers..." Nick noted, starting to understand.

"Every time you transformed, the dark entity inside you grew more powerful. And during that skirmish you and I had, Nick-kun, that dark entity gained enough power to basically control you whenever it wanted."

"So, why didn't he?"

"After what happened to Yuki-chan, you were apparently determined not to lose control again for her sake, and that somehow separated those powers from you and transferred them to that dark entity. That's basically how Yami was born. He's your dark side in every aspect, which means he likes doing things you would never even think of doing."

"So THAT'S why he kept trying to mess with my sister!!!" Nick exclaimed, clenching his fists tightly.

"Exactly," Saiki responded. "In short, since he's your dark side, you're the only one who can defeat him, Nick-kun."

"Then we'd better find him before he does anymore damage," Nick stated, brandishing Hanyou Hikari.

"Did someone call for me?"

There was Yami, plain as day.

"I'm getting real sick of you by now, you little bastard," Nick growled. "You're lucky I don't have those Dark Dragon powers anymore, or you'd be dead meat by now."

"Idle threats do not faze me, boy," Yami sneered, readying his Buster Sword.

"And this is the only time I'm going to tell you," Nick shot back, spinning Hanyou Hikari in his hands. "If you even THINK of doing what you did to my sister again, I swear I'm going to kill you."

Yami just snickered at this. "Like I give a crap about what you think."

"You should. You _are_ me, in a way," Nick responded.

"So you understand, then?" Yami noted. "Nevertheless, that doesn't matter right now. If you want to try and finish me off, come and find me and then we'll settle this once and for all."

"Not a chance, freak show!!!" Nick exclaimed, bringing his weapon behind him. "I'm finishing you off right here and now!!!"

However, Yami almost instantaneously disappeared, and Hanyou Hikari only struck air.

"Okay, I've had about enough of him," Nick growled. "What do you say we go beat his behind into the ground?"

"With pleasure, otou-san!!" Sakura giggled, rising into the air.

With that, everyone who could transform into a Purifier form did so.

"_For one so brave for the sake of love... the Black Purifier of Courage, at your service!!"_

"_For one who never backs down in the face of challenge... the Green Purifier of Bravery, at your service!!"_

"_For one so truly touched by the power of emotion... the Yellow Purifier of Love, at your service!!"_

"_For one who will do anything to protect her beloved... the Jade Purifier of Clarity, at your service!!"_

"_For one with such a beauty and grace that will never falter... the Crystal Purifier of Elegance, at your service!!"_

"_For one who would never betray her friends... the Gray Purifier of Loyalty, at your service!!"_

"_For one who will always cherish those she loves... the Royal Purifier of Truth, at your service!!"_

"_For someone who's ready to grab life by the short shorts and take the world head on... the Quartz Purifier of Sweetness, at your service!!"_

"Well, if we're all equipped, let's head out and nail this freak where it hurts!!" Nick proclaimed, to which Senna just giggled and the kids shook their heads.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Further into the realm of darkness...

"YAMI!!! Quit hiding, you coward!!!" Nick exclaimed, just about ready to lose his short temper.

Nick's demand was answered pretty quickly.

"_MAKURAYAMI!!!"_

Nick spun around and noticed a massive sphere of dark energy thundering straight towards him.

Satoshi rushed forward, firing off a few dark shockwaves that intercepted the Makurayami spell, causing it to fly harmlessly in another direction.

"Thanks for the save, Satoshi-kun," Nick stated, bringing out his weapon.

"Good job. Never thought you'd actually have the guts to follow me this far into the dark realm," Yami commended.

"No more games, Yami," Nick growled. "No more running away. No more ANYTHING. We end this, right here, RIGHT NOW."

"Always to the point, huh, kid?" Yami sneered, bringing out his Buster Sword. "Very well, then. We end this."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki gulped, taking caution.

_This must be it then... Yami... Nick-kun... Saiki-kun did say this was Nick-kun's mission... Only his._

Her eyelids lowered and a sigh escaped her lips.

_Yami looks like Nick-kun... Despite what he did... They still look so much alike..._

Her eyes darted to Saiki and then to Nick before she bit her lip.

_What do I do? What can I do?_

She shut her eyes tightly, strained.

_Nick-kun..._

Her eyes snapped open at a metal clang to see Nick and Yami were already sword to sword, evenly matched.

_Nick-kun..._

"Come on, otou-san, you can do it!!" Sakura exclaimed loudly. "Come on!!"

Mana sweated a bit before looking forward.

_They're even... Not good... No..._

She turned surprised.

_There's more force in Nick-jii-chan's step...!!_

She spun around to face Saiki, observing his uneasy expression.

_Otou-chan... Do you feel it, too? Yami's winning by a little bit. But a chance is still a chance! I can't help... I... I'm getting so excited over this!!_

Saiki lightly growled, wincing.

_Yami's energy is making me dizzy... Nothing like how Yuki-chan's energy makes me feel... But Nick-kun... Nick's not doing as well as I hoped... Still..._

He turned blank, suddenly holding his head, shivering a bit.

_No... No... Control... Learn control!! Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan... For her sake..._

Yuki perked up, surprised.

"Saiki-kun?"

Her boyfriend perked up as well, calming down.

_For her sake... Control... Nick-kun... Hurry... I don't know how much more of this I can take..._

Yuki frowned, her cheeks heating up.

_Saiki-kun!!_

Kurumi perked up, confused.

_Huh?_

"Yuki-chan?"

"N-Nick-kun..." Yuki stammered, a blush spreading throughout her face.

_Saiki-kun... I'm getting worried about Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun... My Saiki-kun..._

Moriko and Akemi both looked at the black witch as well.

_What?_

Moriko frowned.

_Yuki-chan..._

Akemi blushed herself, eyes widening.

_Yuki-chan?_

"Nick-kun..." Yuki repeated his name, shivering all over.

Nick finally perked up, while Yami smirked.

"Well, well... Would you look at that?"

Nick flinched.

_Yu... Yuki-chan?_

"Nick-kun..." his sister whispered again, her voice breaking from shaking so badly. "Please..."

_Please... Nick-kun...!!_

Satoshi frowned.

_Yuki-chan... No... Okaa-san...?_

Mana's eyes glittered and her features turned pale.

_Okaa-chan... Mommy..._

"NICK-KUN, HURRY!!" the black witch finally exclaimed, tears fleeing her eyes, surprising Nick.

"Yuki-chan..."

"I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I CAN TAKE, NICK-KUN!!"

Yuki shook her head, trying to clear her mind as she grasped her arms, now talking more to herself.

_No... No..._

"E-E-Every single time I see Saiki-kun hurt... Or Saiki-kun struggling... My heart races like I only have so little time left..."

Saiki's own eyes widened in horror.

_Yuki-chan!!_

"PLEASE, HURRY!! I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I CAN TAKE!!" she screamed loudly, holding her head as she throbbed all over. "MAKE IT STOP, NICK-KUN!! MAKE THE PAIN STOP!!"

Nick's eyes jolted open and he slashed at Yami, standing his ground.

"You... What are you doing to my sister?!"

Yami just laughed, pleased.

"Nothing at all, actually. That cute little sister is suffering because of her connection to that night elemental. Didn't you hear her?"

Nick's eyes widened and he stared at Saiki, who was also just holding his head to clear his mind.

_Saiki-kun... I never knew Yuki-chan was so close to him..._

He frowned.

_Makes it so much worse that I tried to kill him..._

Mind made up, he turned to Yami, holding up his sword.

"All the more reason to dispose of you soon as possible, Yami."

Yami smirked.

"Shouldn't I be saying that, boy? If I kill you, I can continue ravaging that supple body..."

He was cut off when Nick charged, throwing his sword through him at full force.

"DIDN'T I SAY TO STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER?!"

Yami smirked, pointing to the black witch, and his hand glowed.

Within moments, the black witch emitted a dark aura, floating up into the air.

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Nick exclaimed, shocked.

Yuki flickered, her eyes going dazed as she held her hands in a prayer, vanishing right before everyone's eyes.

"YUKI-CHAN, NO!!" Nick exclaimed again, rushing to where his sister had used to be.

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Senna exclaimed herself, rushing to the spot. "Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan?!"

Momoko gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

Yami just laughed, much to Nick's fury.

"You... You..."

He quickly turned to Saiki.

"Saiki-kun, what happened to Yuki-chan?!"

He turned surprised when the younger prince had fallen to his knees, shaking as he held his throbbing head.

"Nick-kun... Yuki-chan... is..." He fell over, unconscious.

"OTOU-CHAN!!" Mana exclaimed, absolutely horrified.

Kurumi just stood there numbly, not quite understanding.

_Yuki-chan... Saiki-kun...?_

Nick turned to Yami with unquestionable fury.

"What. Did. You. DO?!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick began advancing on Yami, Hanyou Hikari being gripped tightly. "What did you do to her, you little bastard?!"

Yami just grinned. "I just sent her away. No need for her to be around if I'm fighting you."

Yami's moment was interrupted as Hanyou Hikari cut deep into his shoulder.

"Didn't I warn you what I was going to do to you if you messed with my sister, you little son of a bitch?!" Nick screamed, slashing forward with Hanyou Hikari and slicing right into Yami's chest.

_You know every world will have it's end_

_I'm here to prove it all to you_

"That's right, boy," Yami taunted. "Release your rage!! Let it loose and let it consume you!!"

This was met with another slash from a very pissed off Nick.

"No chance in hell, freak show!!" Nick shot back. "I'm not letting you control me anymore!! We end this now!!"

_I am who you don't think I am_

_All wrapped up in my evil plan!_

Yami just smirked at this. "Very well, boy. This ends now."

Both blades clashed again and again, sparks flying as Nick and Yami continued to duel.

"Can't we do anything?!" Sakura exclaimed. "I hate just doing nothing!! Otou-san needs our help!!!"

"We should only help if Nick-kun needs help," Saiki responded, still clutching his throbbing head. "After all, no matter how much help we give him, he's the only one who can defeat Yami."

"Otou-chan, what's the matter?!" Mana exclaimed, seriously worried about her father.

"It's... gotta be whatever Yami did to Yuki-chan..." Saiki responded. "I have no idea what's happening..."

_I can taste the day, save a night_

_Spells beyond you as I watch you crawl!_

Nick just barely avoided a slash from Yami's Buster Sword, countering with a Heavenly Tempest attack that the dark being barely dodged.

"Is that all you've got, boy?" Yami sneered. "You can stop holding back on me!!"

Nick grinned at this. "Whoever said I was holding back on you?"

With that, Nick leaped into the air, and before Yami could bring his Buster Sword around to guard, Nick drove Hanyou Hikari into his dark double's chest, causing Yami to stagger.

_Do you dare to fight evil's might?_

_I'll be the last one standing in the flash of light!_

"Not bad, boy," Yami grinned.

"You're still not dead, you little bastard?!" Nick exclaimed. "What's it gonna take to bring you down?!"

"More than you're using right now, I can assure you," Yami taunted. This REALLY managed to get Nick into a tizzy, as he rushed forward, swinging Hanyou Hikari wildly and causing quite a toll of damage.

"It's your choice if you want to die like this," Yami shot back, meeting blades with his counterpart once again.

_My eyes (my eyes) are filled with curiosity_

_You think (you think) that you have power over me!_

Yuki slowly opened her eyes. "Wha...? What the hell? Where am I?"

The black witch's eyes suddenly shot open as she realized what Yami had done to her.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki called out. No response.

_No... don't tell me I lost him again..._

Yuki reached out to nobody in particular, hoping she could reach her brother.

_No!! I'm not going to lose Nick-kun anymore!! He means too much to me!!_ Yuki thought, concentrating with all of her might and thinking of the one person who'd always been by her side through thick and thin, bad and worse.

"Nick-kun... I... I love you... please come back to me..."

Before Yuki could figure out what to do next, a bright light surrounded her, whisking her away.

_In this life (this life) there's no room for you and me!_

_So turn away, or face this day with me! (Face the day with me!)_

_With me! (Face the day with me!)_

The sparks continued to fly as Nick and Yami, both still evenly matched, continued to clash with their blades.

"Why won't you just die?!" Nick screamed, performing an overhead strike that was easily blocked.

"Simple. I'm your dark side," Yami explained. "Unless your light can overpower me, which it doesn't seem to be doing right now, I won't be able to die. Can you get that through your thick skull?"

"Don't you talk down to me, you son of a bitch!!" Nick shot back, slashing forward only to have that strike blocked as well.

"Oh, come on. You're not even trying!!" Yami sneered, slamming his blade into Nick's chest before he could react.

"OTOU-SAN!!!!" Sakura exclaimed.

_You know every world will have it's test_

_Don't wait for what I have become!_

"And now, this is where you end," Yami cackled. "It's been fun while it lasted."

With that, Yami pushed the sword further into Nick's chest, the green witch trying his best not to let that sword shred up anything vital.

Just then...

"NICK-KUN!!!!"

Yami looked up in complete shock as Yuki appeared from out of nowhere, summoning Shutsuga Tobiume and knocking the dark being a couple feet away.

_You know every world will come to end (come to end)_

_And I'll create it by all the rest!_

When the field was calm enough, Yuki quickly ran up to Nick, wrenching the Buster Sword out and tossing it aside.

_Please... for Nick-kun's sake... please let this work!!_

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_ Yuki cried, sighing in relief when she saw that Nick's wound had been healed.

"Nick-kun... I thought I'd lost you..." Yuki cried, embracing Nick tightly.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere, Yuki-chan," Nick whispered soothingly, stroking his sister's black hair. "I promise that no matter what happens, I'll always be right by your side..."

"I'm glad, Nick-kun..." Yuki responded.

_I can taste the day, save a night_

_Scream your dreams, as you dare to fight!_

_Dare to fight!_

Senna couldn't help but giggle at the affectionate sight. "Aw, that's my Yuki-chan!!"

Mana sighed in relief when she saw her father standing up.

"You okay, otou-chan?" Mana asked.

"I think so," Saiki responded. "What I don't understand is why it started hurting when Yuki-chan disappeared..."

Suddenly, Saiki perked up in shock. "Wait. Does that mean...?"

Saiki then just sighed. "I guess she and I are linked in more ways than we thought..."

_My eyes (my eyes) are filled with curiosity_

_You think (you think) that you have power over me!_

Yuki looked up at her brother, their hands intertwined. "Say, Nick-kun? I know that only you can defeat this little freak... but... do you mind if I help you rough him up a little?"

Nick smiled, squeezing his sister's hand. "Be my guest."

Yuki giggled, brandishing Shutsuga Tobiume alongside Nick, who was wielding Hanyou Hikari.

"Time to end this, Yami," Nick proclaimed.

"When Nick-kun and I are together, we can't lose!!" Yuki responded.

"Fine by me," Yami sneered. "If you both want to die together, that can be arranged."

_In this life (this life) there's no room for you and me!_

_So turn away, or face this day with me! (Face the day with me!)_

Yuki struck first, swinging Shutsuga Tobiume in an arc attack that knocked Yami a couple feet back. Tossing her weapon into the air, Yuki spread her arms out, charging her energy into her palms and creating two spheres that she quickly launched towards Yami.

The dark being laughed mockingly when the spheres stopped short of him, but he was quickly cut short when Yuki winked cutely.

"_SOUL LIGHTS!!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, slamming her open palms together. The energy spheres she'd thrown then split into hundreds of smaller energy balls, all converging on Yami at the exact same time and causing some major damage.

_With me! (Face the day with me!)_

_With me! (Face the day with me!)_

_With me!_

Nick continued the attack by bringing Hanyou Hikari behind him.

"Eat this, you bastard!! _DIAMOND SPARK!!!_" Nick shouted, slamming Hanyou Hikari into the psychedelic ground and unleashing a wave of crystallized magical energy that slashed at Yami mercilessly.

"How do you like that, you little bastard?" Nick growled. "I don't care what you say. I'm NOTHING like you!!"

Yami just smirked evilly. "So you say."

That was just about all Nick could take. Rushing forward, Nick thrust his weapon forward, impaling Yami so that Hanyou Hikari broke out the back of the dark being. Not wasting any time, Nick swung his weapon forward and tossed Yami straight into a wall.

"How do you like that?!" Nick taunted.

Yami sneered, shrugging off the attack.

_I can taste the day, save a night_

_Scream your dreams, as you dare to fight!_

_Dare to fight!_

"God, he's STILL not dead?!" Senna exclaimed. "How much endurance does this guy have?!"

"Just relax, okay, Senna-chan," Saiki stated. "Yami's getting weak. It's only a matter of time before Nick-kun finishes him off."

"You hear that, dark freak?" Nick shot back. "The tide is turning in my favor!!"

"Even... even if I fall... I will damn well go down fighting!!" Yami sneered.

Nick smirked. "You MUST me my dark side, because that's something I would say."

_My eyes (my eyes) are filled with curiosity_

_You think (you think) that you have power over me!_

To everyone's surprise, Nick sheathed Hanyou Hikari, but before anyone could ask, Nick began rising into the air.

"I have officially had about enough of you, dark boy," Nick proclaimed.

Nick looked down at his companions. "Everyone!! Please, lend me your power!!"

Yuki looked a little confused. "What are you going to do with that power, Nick-kun?"

Nick's expression broke out into a wide grin. "I'm going to get rid of this little bastard once and for all."

Yuki nodded. "You heard onii-chan, everybody!! Let's give him power!!"

With that, Yuki raised her hands into the air, channeling her energy into an energy sphere in her hands, which was glowing a bright silver-black.

_In this life (this life) there's no room for you and me!_

_So turn away, or face this day with me! (Face the day with me!)_

_With me!_

That was all that needed to be said. The others did the same as Yuki, channeling a nice chunk of their energy into a sphere of their respective colors: Saiki's dark purple, Momoko's golden yellow, Senna's bright blue, Sakura's bright quartz, Mana's silvery-blue, and Satoshi's pure black.

Those six spheres joined Yuki's twilight sphere, and together, all seven energy spheres floated up around Nick and began spinning around him.

Not five seconds later, Nick threw his arms outwards, and all seven energy spheres absorbed themselves into him, and Nick began an impressive transformation.

Within seconds, when the impossibly bright light from Nick's transformation cleared, Yuki was the first to notice Nick's change into his ascended super form.

"Waaa... Nick-kun, _sugoi_..." Yuki breathed.

"WHOA!!!" Senna exclaimed. "Did he turn into his gold-hair form again?"

"I think so," Saiki noted. "But something's up... normally, Nick-kun's magical aura is double the intensity in his super form... but with this form, his magical aura's about TEN TIMES STRONGER than his regular super form..."

Yami actually backed up, fear flickering across his face. He could easily feel the overwhelming magical pressure radiating from Nick.

"Yeah, you're SCARED, aren't you?" Nick taunted. "I hate to say it, Yami, but you're done."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"This is the end, Yami."

Yami finally huffed, smirking.

"Don't be so sure of yourself."

Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Dark and light can't exist without the other, surely you know that."

Saiki perked up at that.

_Nick-kun..._

"As long as you have your temper and your impatience, I'll always be there," he stated, matter-of-factly. "You can't kill me."

Nick seemed to honestly think this over for a few moments. He stole a glance at his sister.

_Yuki-chan... I'd do anything to protect her..._

He casted a glance towards Saiki as well and finally smiled, turning back to Yami.

_So that means..._

"You may have a point there, Yami. But get this, even if you're always there... I won't let you control me. Not anymore."

_All for Yuki-chan's sake..._

Yuki had to smile.

_Nick-kun..._

Yami seemed surprised before he cursed under his breath.

Nick's grin widened.

"Have it your way," he stated before releasing the gathered energy in a full-out blow.

"_Ojamajo Pure Perfection!!"_

Everything went white for a few moments, Yuki forced to shield her eyes from the light.

_Sinking... In the light...? Nick-kun..._

"Nick!!" Momoko exclaimed, standing her ground against the force of the attack. "Is he?!"

_Nick..._

"If Nick-kun dies on us, I'm going to kill him!!" Moriko exclaimed, also shielding her eyes.

_That little idiot..._

"Moriko-chan, that doesn't even make much sense!!" Akemi yelped, her eyes shut tightly as Moriko held her close, trying to take the force of the attack for her.

The light soon cleared, and Yami was nowhere in sight. Nick soon floated to the ground, reverting back to his usual form before falling to his knees.

"Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, quickly rushing to her brother's aid. She got down, wrapping her arms around him. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Nick answered this with a groan.

The black witch snapped away, covering her mouth. "I'm sorry Nick-kun, that was such a stupid question!!"

A smirk formed on Nick's face, and he gave his little sister a hug, surprising her.

"N-Nick-kun?"

"I love you, Yuki-chan... Remember that."

Yuki's eyes slowly widened and she nodded, returning the embrace.

"I love you too, Nick-kun."

Saiki had to smile at the heartwarming sight, shaking his head.

_Oh, well._

"Otou-chan, is this okay?" Mana asked, her eyes wide and sparkling.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Saiki returned before ruffling Mana's hair. "You did a good job, Mana-chan."

Mana blushed intensely, shaking like crazy before she turned tear-eyed.

"O-Otou-chan..."

Satoshi laughed a bit, extending his hand.

"Come here, Mana-chan."

Mana smiled brightly, rushing straight into her brother's arms.

"Oh, Satoshi-kun!! I love you!!"

"I love you too, Mana-chan." Satoshi responded, hugging her tightly before winking at Saiki.

"Otou-san, take good care of Yuki-chan, alright?"

Saiki blushed a bit himself and smiled, nodding.

"Can do."

"Another thing Saiki, don't get into anymore fights with Nick." Satoshi quickly added, now serious.

The wizard laughed, shrugging as if to say 'who knows'.

"I make no promises on that one, Satoshi-kun."

Satoshi huffed, but he just shook his head.

_Oh well. Some things never change._

Momoko and Sakura just smiled at each other.

"_Yokatta_, right Sakura-chan?"

Sakura just nodded.

"Right, okaa-san."

Moriko giggled herself, patting Akemi's shoulders.

"All's well that ends well. Huh, my dear Akemi-chan?"

Akemi nodded, blushing lightly.

"Of course, Moriko-chan."

Kurumi smiled at Nick and Yuki before skipping up to Saiki.

"Need a hug, Saiki-kun?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine," Saiki responded, waving his hands.

"Yay!! Saiki-kun needs a hug!!" Senna chirped, wrapping her arms around Saiki, smiling brightly, surprising him.

"Se... Senna-chan..."

Senna settled herself, closing her eyes.

_It feels nice... Like with Yamato-kun..._

To her surprise, tears began budding in her eyes.

_Yamato..._

She perked up in surprise when Saiki patted her head in the same form of comfort he used on Yuki.

"They're happy, aren't they?" he asked in a quiet voice, with a slight smile.

Senna blinked but smiled herself, nodding.

"Thank you, Saiki-kun."

Saiki just nodded.

"You're very welcome, Senna-chan."

Kurumi smiled herself.

_Good..._

Saiki finally sighed, glancing towards Nick and Yuki. He frowned himself, his eyes going blank for a few moments.

_Onii-chan..._

His eyelids lowered, and he shook his head.

_No... Yuki-chan... I'm happy to just see that you're smiling._

The two siblings soon separated, Yuki kissing Nick's cheek.

"Good job, Nick-kun."

Nick just snickered.

"What'd you expect, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki giggled herself, turning to face Saiki with a beam.

_Saiki-kun... I love you..._

Senna noticed and backed away a bit, grinning at Yuki.

_I've made some bad memories... But in the very least, I'm happy that I can make good ones as well._

Saiki just smiled back, giving Yuki a slight wave.

Yuki's eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded at Nick before she quickly rushed into her rushed into her boyfriend's arms.

"Saiki-kun, I love you!!" she exclaimed happily, hugging him as tightly as she possibly could.

_I'm so glad... You're not suffering anymore..._

Saiki just nodded, brushing some hair from his girlfriend's face, kissing her forehead.

"We're more connected than I thought, Yuki-chan."

Yuki blinked in innocent confusion at that.

"Eh?"

Saiki just smiled, patting her head.

"It's nothing, Yuki-chan."

He glanced at Nick, who just gave him a thumbs up. Saiki silently nodded in response.

_Thanks._

"Saiki-kun?" Yuki pounded lightly on his chest with her fists. "Can you stop being so confusing?! Your fortune-teller talk confuses me way too much!!"

"I can't help that, Yuki-chan."

The black witch stopped, before smiling.

"Saiki-kun..." she whispered before the two kissed, a silver tear falling from Yuki's eye.

_I love you... so much..._

Nick shook his head at the two, and Momoko walked up to him, extending a hand.

"Nick?"

"Momoko, did I ever tell you I love you?" he asked with a sly grin, taking his girlfriend's hand, making her giggle.

"More or less."

"I love you, Momoko," Nick stated, lightly kissing her on the lips. Momoko returned it with a smile.

_Oh, Nick..._

Saiki and Yuki soon separated, and Yuki looked at her brother and the yellow witch, cracking a smile.

_And to think... When I first saw Nick-kun and Momo-chan together... I hated it... I never really understood why I felt so jealous of Momo-chan for being so close to Nick-kun..._

She turned to Saiki and closed her eyes, smiling brightly.

_Until I met Saiki-kun. It's like finding your other half... Just like Romeo and Juliet... I loved Saiki-kun from the moment I first saw him..._

She casted a glance towards Satoshi and Mana, and her smile widened.

_Not to mention... The two beautiful children we'll have... Satoshi-kun... Mana-chan..._

Saiki suddenly perked up.

"Oh, that's right..."

"What's right, Saiki-kun dear?"

"We're forgetting something rather important," the younger prince snickered, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Saiki-kun?" Nick wondered, a bit confused himself.

Saiki simply pointed at Senna with his thumb, surprising everyone.

"Oh... Right..." Kurumi exhaled, covering her mouth.

Senna just blinked.

"What?"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"We have to help Senna-chan here find her way home," Saiki stated. "It's the least we can do for her after everything we've done for her."

Nick suddenly facepalmed. "I can't believe we forgot about that!!"

Senna just giggled. "Trust me, I'm used to it."

"All right, everybody!! Let's help Senna-chan get home!!" Yuki exclaimed.

Senna just smiled at that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Back in Misora, the eight teenagers were walking down the winding roads, trying to think of a way to help Senna get home, wherever home was for someone like her.

"Say, Nick?" Senna asked. "Could I ask you something quick?"

Nick nodded, and Senna walked a little closer to him.

"All that stuff you said to Yuki-chan... did you really mean that?"

"Of course I did," Nick answered. "Yuki-chan is very precious to me. It's been like that ever since we were kids. And after dad started messing with us, I figured it would be up to me to help Yuki-chan deal with these kinds of troubles. Believe me, Senna-chan, I'm used to trouble. It's pretty much been following me my whole life."

Senna couldn't help but giggle at that.

"But Yuki-chan's done a lot for me, too," Nick continued. "She's always been cheering me on, reassuring me when the going gets tough, all that stuff... I can still remember this one time back in school..."

_Nick quickly did a step vault over his opponent, not daring to lose control of the soccer ball. It was his soccer team's final game of the season, the middle school championship game, and they were fighting Misora's rival team from Yokohama. Currently, the game was tied at four a piece with a minute left to go in the last quarter._

_Nick continued to weave around his opponents, trying his best to keep control of the ball with all the defenders beginning to gang up on him._

'_Crap!! I may be in trouble here,' Nick thought as he inched ever closer to the goal, the goalie diligently defending his post. 'I've only got about thirty seconds to score a goal, but all these freaks are ganging up on me, and I don't think we can risk going into overtime...'_

_Suddenly, Nick heard the cheerleaders starting their routine. Turning his head slightly, he was surprised to see that his sister had somehow made her way into the throng of cheerleaders, sporting her own outfit and pom-poms, and she was cheering like crazy. The rest of the audience began wondering how she'd done that, but Nick knew: Yuki was cheering for him._

'_No. I can do this,' Nick thought. 'I want Yuki-chan to be proud of me for this. This is the first championship game Misora's been to in seven years, and I'm not going to let anyone down!! ESPECIALLY not Yuki-chan!!'_

_His mind made up, and with fifteen seconds to go, Nick charged forward, deftly maneuvering the ball around the opponents and eventually coming within spitting distance of the goal._

_He took a good look at the goalie, who looked ready for anything._

_Five._

_Nick suddenly smiled, a devious plan forming in his head._

_Four._

_Not wasting a single second, Nick continued his forward path, juggling the ball expertly with his feet._

_Three._

_The goalie tensed up, ready for Nick's attack._

_Nick started his motion, ready to kick the ball. 'Come on, fall for it.'_

_Two._

_The goalie took Nick's bait, diving to the left as he saw Nick raise his foot._

_One._

"_You fell for it, sucker!!" Nick exclaimed, lashing out and striking the ball with all his might, sending it to the right side and straight into the goal net just as time expired._

_This sent the crowd into a frenzy as Nick landed gracefully on his feet. "I've wanted to try that trick for so long," Nick stated to nobody in particular as he ran to the sidelines to celebrate with his teammates._

_In particular, there was one person Nick really wanted to thank._

'_Thanks, Yuki-chan,' Nick thought as he went to receive the championship trophy with his team. 'I'll never forget this.'_

"She's pushed me so hard for so long," Nick stated. "And I'm the one that usually does that for her sake, right?"

Senna just nodded, still smiling.

All of a sudden, Nick perked up, noticing something nearby.

"What's up, Nick?" Momoko wondered.

Nick spun around, noticing who had just appeared on the scene. Yuki wondered why Nick look so surprised, but when she got a good look at this boy, she instantly knew why: the dark chestnut eyes and messy black hair were a dead giveaway.

Senna turned around to ask what was going on, but nearly burst into tears when she saw who was standing there.

"Y-Ya..." Senna could barely speak.

The boy just nodded. That was about all Senna could hold back.

"YAMATO-KUN!!!!" Senna exclaimed, rushing into the boy's arms. "Oh, Yamato-kun, I thought you'd never come back!!!"

"Who said I was going to leave you, Senna-chan?" Yamato responded. "I may have left, but I'd never leave you."

Senna smiled brightly, just holding her boyfriend close to her.

Momoko, however, just looked a little tense. "Nick, is that really...?"

Nick simply nodded. "It's all right, Momoko. I'm not sensing any dark energy in him. He's the real thing."

Momoko sighed in relief.

Senna smiled back at her boyfriend, tears starting to fall. "Do you have any idea... how much I missed you, Yamato-kun?"

Yamato just smiled. "I think I can guess."

That said, Senna leaned up and pressed her lips to Yamato's, who gladly returned it.

Nick couldn't help but smile at this sweet sight.

_Speaking of which..._

Nick looked over at Saiki, a little grin on his face. "Say, Saiki-kun?"

The night elemental perked up at this. "What's up, Nick-kun?"

Nick's grin just doubled. "Isn't there something you want to say to Yuki-chan?"

Saiki looked a little confused as to what Nick was implying, until the green witch pointed to something that Saiki was hiding behind his back.

The night elemental instantly blushed like crazy at what Nick was referring to. "Are you... are you sure, Nick-kun?"

Nick just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, you and I have had our scuffles, but I'm not going to stand in the way of Yuki-chan's happiness. I say you should go for it."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki blinked in disbelief.

_Nick-kun..._

"Do you really mean it, Nick-kun?"

Nick nodded again, and winked.

"You have my blessing, Saiki-kun."

The wizard couldn't help but laugh at the irony before he nodded.

"If it's really okay..."

He turned to Yuki, and smiled.

_Yuki-chan..._

He looked at Nick, who just nodded, and walked up to the black witch.

"Yu...Yuki-chan?" he stuttered a bit on her hair, blushing already.

Yuki perked up, smiling angelically at her boyfriend, her eyes sparkling like a kid on Christmas.

"Yes, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki's blush deepened, and he cast away from her chocolaty brown eyes.

"Well..."

"Saiki-kun's blushing!!" Yuki giggled, jumping up and down, already giddy. "Come on, come on! What's the reason for that?!"

"Don't jump around so much..." he muttered half-heartedly, shoving his hands into his pockets, huffing.

Yuki's movements slowed down and she dropped her head, sighing.

"I'm sorry."

Saiki looked at her and smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Don't get upset so easily."

"Anymore life lessons?" Yuki asked hopefully.

Saiki just shook her head.

"That's not what I mean." He blushed a bit, chuckling. "I need to tell you something, Yuki-chan..."

"Oh..."

Yuki blushed a bit herself, and fiddled with her hair before gulping.

"W-What is it, Saiki-kun?"

He laughed again, still nervous.

"How long has it been?"

"Huh?"

"How long have we known each other?" he rephrased, licking his lips.

"Oh..." the black witch thought for a few moments.

"I... don't know."

She then smiled brightly, giggling.

"But love strengthens over time, so it's probably been a while. I love you, Saiki-kun."

Saiki looked down, sighing.

"...Thanks."

Yuki perked up, now worried.

"Saiki-kun?"

Saiki smiled quietly, closing his eyes.

_I have to... It's now or never. But..._

He looked at Yuki's concerned gaze, still a bit uncertain.

_Can I trust Yuki-chan...?_

Yuki blinked and flinched when she felt the back of Saiki's hand brush delicately against her cheek.

She blushed furiously and finally smiled.

_Saiki-kun..._

"Yuki-chan..." Saiki sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I want you to have something..."

Yuki perked up, her eyes slowly widening.

"What... What is it?"

Her boyfriend casted his glance to the side before reaching into his pocket and pulled out something, he fingered the charm before closing his fist around it.

"You're always wearing jewelry..." he observed, glancing at Yuki with curiosity.

Yuki blushed darkly and nodded. "It's so expensive... But dressing up... Like Kurumi-chan does... It's a lot of fun."

_Kurumi-chan's just so lucky..._

Saiki nodded in understanding, grinning a bit.

"Why... Why do you ask?" Yuki asked coyly, swaying her body from side to side.

"No reason... No, that's a lie." Saiki shook his head, loosening his grip, and letting a pendant fall in front of Yuki as he held the chair as delicately as possible.

Yuki's eyes immediately widened at the sight of the beautiful object, twirling around, shaped like a snowflake, sparkling gems decorating every corner.

"Be... Beautiful..." she gasped, holding her hands out to catch the charm, staring at it in disbelief.

"F-For... me, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki just nodded before he shrugged.

"It reminded me of you, Yuki-chan. I figured something like this, well..."

"I love it!!" she exclaimed, fastening the chain around her neck, now with an extra jump in her step. "I'm going to wear it forever!!"

Saiki laughed a bit out of relief.

Suddenly Yuki stopped, her grin turning huge.

"Y-You know... Some people consider such a gift a proposal... So I say yes!"

Her boyfriend perked up, now confused.

"Wait... What?"

"I will definitely marry you, Saiki-kun!" She winked. "I'm of age, and Nick-kun accepts, doesn't he?"

Saiki sweatdropped at that while blushing like crazy, and he shot a glance at Nick, who just grinned and nodded.

_I never would have thought..._

"SO... I want to wear a purple dress... No, make that lavender!!" Yuki waved her hands, giggling. "Saiki-kun and Nick-kun will look so stunning..."

Saiki shook his head.

"A few years... Please, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki huffed at that.

"Why wait?"

Mana and Satoshi grinned at each other before Mana just giggled.

_Oh, okaa-chan..._

"There... Are still some things that need to be taken care of..." Saiki trailed off, sighing.

Yuki blinked but smiled.

"Sure. As soon as we defeat the Delegates of Darkness once and for all, we'll get married... But for now, we're engaged, Saiki-kun sweetie."

Saiki laughed a bit, but shrugged.

"Whatever you want, princess."

Nick shook his head, and Momoko took his arm, grinning.

"Nick... You'll keep your word, right?"

"Of course, Momoko."

Senna smiled herself.

_Good for you, Yuki-chan._

"So... Did you have fun while I was away, Senna-chan?" Yamato asked, laughing. "You've made quite a few friends..."

Senna looked at Kurumi, who just winked, and she nodded.

"Not in the beginning... But meeting Yuki-chan and the others... I've made really good memories."

"I see..."

"Um... Yamato-kun?"

"Yes?"

"I know my answer."

Yamato's eyes widened as Senna blushed, and smiled.

"The answer is yes. I love you, Yamato-kun. And I want to be with you forever. Seeing Saiki-kun and Yuki-chan... Seeing Nick and Momoko... HECK, seeing EVERYONE helped me realize that."

He nodded slowly, but whisked her into the air, laughing.

"You have NO idea how long I've waited to hear that, Senna-chan!! I love you... More than anything."

Senna just nodded and she threw her arms around Yamato, pressing her lips to his in another passionate kiss.

Akemi blushed at that, and Moriko put an arm around her shoulders.

Sakura just giggled, and Mana and Satoshi laughed as well.

For a while... Everything seemed peaceful.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Well, this is pretty nice, huh?" Kurumi stated.

"LOTS of emotion going on around here!!" Senna giggled.

Yamato couldn't do much but smile. _Senna-chan really has made some odd friends. But I guess that's one of the reasons I love her so much._

"OH!!" Yuki exclaimed, momentarily parting from her fiancée and rushing up to Senna.

"What's up, Yuki-chan?" Senna asked.

"I wanted to give you something, Senna-chan," Yuki stated, holding her hands into the sky.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Let's make a charm for Senna-chan!!"_

With that call, energy concentrated in Yuki's open hands until it formed a cute hairclip in the shape of a water lily.

Gently, Yuki reached forward and placed the clip in Senna's hair.

"I thought it would remind you of Retsu-chan," Yuki explained. "Remember, Senna-chan, she's not truly dead as long as you have your memories."

Senna felt like she was going to cry. "That's so sweet... thanks, Yuki-chan..."

With that, Senna couldn't help but pull Yuki into a huge hug. The black witch smiled while returning the hug.

"Good for them," Momoko giggled.

"Okay, everybody, we're outta here!!" Senna exclaimed. "I want to go spend some... _quality_ time with Yamato-kun."

Yamato blushed at that.

"You take care, Senna-chan!!" Nick exclaimed.

"GOT IT!!!" Senna giggled, rushing off with Yamato. The others continued to wave to her until she couldn't be seen anymore.

"Yeah, we should probably get back, too," Satoshi noted. "Our parents are probably worried sick with everything that's been going on."

"And now we'll get to be friends with Senna-chan in the future!!" Mana giggled. "AWESOME!!!"

"Let's wait 'till we get back to start acting all excited, okay?" Sakura stated. "We have a long way home. You remember how long that time tunnel was when we came here?"

"THAT is something I'd rather forget," Satoshi responded, blushing a bit. This caused everyone present to laugh up a storm.

Nick then walked up to Sakura, kissing his future daughter on the forehead. "You take good care of yourself, okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura just nodded, hugging her father. "Will do, _otou-san_."

"I'll miss you, Yuki-chan!!" Mana exclaimed, throwing her arms around Yuki.

"You'll see me again in time!!" Mana giggled.

"You HAD to make that joke at least once, didn't you?" Sakura teased.

"Sorry, couldn't resist!!"

With that, Mana, Sakura, and Satoshi all joined each other, beginning to glow with a bright light.

"Sayonara, everyone!!" Sakura exclaimed.

"It's been fun, really!!" Satoshi continued.

"See you in the future!!" Mana giggled, only to sweatdrop when she noticed Sakura staring at her.

With that, a bright flash covered the area, and when it cleared, the three kids had disappeared.

"Good to know our kids are doing well," Saiki stated, only to notice something on his wrist flashing.

"Oh, great... Oyajide-san's back," Saiki groaned.

Yuki just giggled. "You go ahead and deal with him, Saiki-kun!! I'll still be here for my fiancée when you get back!! And if he's too much to handle... just give me a call and I'll hit him with my hammer!!"

Saiki couldn't help but laugh at that. "You got it... _honey_."

Yuki couldn't help but swoon at how romantic that single word sounded. The two shared a quick, passionate kiss before Saiki teleported away.

Suddenly, Momoko heard a low growling sound. Spinning around, she thought she could hear Nick's stomach growling.

A sweatdrop appeared on Nick's forehead. "Sorry. I guess I haven't eaten anything since the movie night."

"Well, why don't we head home and I'll make some veal oscar for you two?" Momoko offered.

"YAY!!!" Yuki exclaimed. "I LOVE THAT STUFF!!!"

Nick just had to laugh at that. _Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan, no matter how much she grows up, but that's why I love her. She's someone precious to me._

"Well, we'd best be going, too," Moriko stated. "We can see that you three have some business to take care of. You guys make it sound like the veal oscar that Momo-chan makes is the best food in the world."

Nick laughed a bit. "Momoko told me that the way she makes it is an Asuka family tradition."

"And we have things to do, too," Akemi stated, softly pecking Moriko on the cheek. "Right, Moriko-chan?"

"Exactly, Akemi-chan!!" Moriko responded, and with that, they rushed off with Kurumi in tow.

As the three continued to walk back to the Asuka household, Yuki tugged on Nick's shirt sleeve.

"Nick-kun, you wanna say it?" Yuki asked.

"I guess," Nick responded. "I figure if I'm going to do it, it may as well be now."

His mind made up, Nick walked forward, tapping Momoko on the shoulder.

"Momoko?"

"Yes, Nick?"

"There's something I want to say to you. It's kinda like when you and I shared that kiss on our first date," Nick stated. "I'm nowhere NEAR as good as Saiki-kun was at saying this kind of thing, and that's not saying much."

Momoko tried her best to hold back her tears when she figured out what Nick wanted to say.

Not wasting a single second, and as his sister watched with shining eyes, Nick pulled out a little box that contained a beautiful ring with a heart-shaped pearl.

"You know that I don't like dragging things out longer than they need to be, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Momoko Asuka... will you marry me?"

After only a couple seconds, Momoko's walls broke down and she burst into tears.

"YES!!! OF COURSE I'll marry you, Nick!!!" Momoko nearly screamed as Nick slid the ring onto his girlfriend's finger.

"You go, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed.

Nick and Momoko took this time to share a powerful kiss that was full of passion they didn't even know they had.

"Ah, I'll never get tired of that..." Momoko giggled, only to have the moment interrupted when her cell phone rang.

After a few seconds, Momoko flipped her phone closed. "Guys, I gotta rush home, and I need to tell _okaa-sama_ about this, so can you take care of business here?"

Nick and Yuki both nodded, and with that, Momoko was off.

"Well, Nick-kun, we're both engaged!!" Yuki giggled. "How's it feel?"

"They say that every step in life is followed by another, right?" Nick responded. "This is basically you and me taking that next step."

"To me, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world... to know I have a wonderful fiancée who I know will always be there and a fantastic brother that I know I can count no to be by my side... it's so wonderful, isn't it?" Yuki stated.

Nick could only nod.

"That's life, Yuki-chan. You take it as it comes, and you make the best of what you've got."

"Oh, Nick-kun? One last thing before we head back home?"

"Yeah?"

Yuki tucked her hands behind her back in a cute pose that Nick had always loved when they were just kids.

"You remember back when you nearly killed Saiki-kun?"

"PLEASE don't remind me. I don't want to go through that again..."

"It's okay, Nick-kun. This is something I wanted to say about the issue."

Yuki leaned over and kissed her brother on his forehead, then leaned towards his ear and whispered three words that really warmed his heart.

"I forgive you."

(Author's Note from Nick: And here's the ending sequence to what I believe is the most emotional story Yuki-chan and I have ever written. The song is "Hikari" by Utada Hikaru!)

_Donna toki datte tada hitori de_

_Unmei wasurete ikite kita no ni_

_(No matter what the time, I'm just alone_

_Destiny forgotten, even though I kept going)_

(Footage: Yuki looks up at the rising moon, her legs crossed and her arms tucked behind her back. After a few seconds, Nick joins her, the two siblings just content to watch the moonrise together.)

_Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru_

_Mayonaka ni_

_(Inside of the sudden light I awaken_

_In the middle of the night)_

(Footage: Saiki stares into the twilight being reflected over the horizon by the moon, eventually being joined by Akatsuki, who pats his younger brother on the shoulder. Saiki looks up at Akatsuki and the brothers share a knowing smile.)

_Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte_

_(Quietly, stand in the exit way)_

(Footage: Momoko leans back against the wall of her room, staring at the engagement ring Nick got for her. She almost instantly squeals in happiness.)

_Kurayami ni hikari o ute_

_(And, in the pitch-black, take the light)_

(Footage: Moriko and Akemi can be seen walking down the twilight-covered streets, Moriko's arms around Akemi. Akemi just giggles happily and looks up at the jade witch with a bright smile. Moriko notices and smiles back.)

_Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana_

_(And about the recent promises, is it just that I'm so anxious?)_

(Footage: Senna and Yamato can be seen standing in front of a house. Yamato motions for Senna to come inside, to which Senna just squeals with delight and rushes inside.)

_Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa_

_kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo_

_(A wish that's wanting to be said, but shall be repressed_

_I'll introduce my family)_

(Footage: Senna spins around on her tiptoes, happy to be back in her boyfriend's house. Yamato can't do much but laugh at his girlfriend's antics. After a couple seconds, Senna motions for Yamato to come closer. He just shrugs and obeys.)

_kitto umaku iku yo_

_(You'll surely get along well)_

(Footage: Senna wraps her arms around Yamato, giggling a bit before pressing her lips to his.)

_Donna toki datte zutto futari de_

_Donna toki datte soba ni iru kara_

_(No matter what the time, we'll always be together_

_No matter what the time, because you're by my side)_

(Footage: Kurumi just walks down the twilight-covered roads, hands behind her back and staring towards the bright moon. After a couple seconds, she notices the camera and performs a cute pose.)

_Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru_

_Mayonaka ni_

_(The light known as "you" finds me,_

_In the middle of the night)_

(Footage: Back where Nick and Yuki are, the black witch appears to be falling asleep. Nick smiles at this, patting Yuki on the shoulders. She nods, lays her head on Nick's shoulder, and falls asleep. Nick kisses Yuki on the forehead before falling asleep as well. As the sequence ends, we pan up to the rising moon and in it, we see a reflection of Mana, Sakura, and Satoshi watching their parents from the future.)

"Nick-kun?"

"Can't sleep, Yuki-chan?"

It was almost three-thirty at this point. Nick recognized this kind of situation.

"What's up, sis?"

"I miss Senna-chan already..."

Nick moved over and playfully ruffled his sister's hair.

"I'm sure we'll see her again, Yuki-chan. I know we will."

Nick leaned over to kiss Yuki on the forehead before slipping the covers over them.

"We'd best try to get some sleep. We've all got a big day tomorrow."

Yuki just nodded.

"Sweet dreams, Yuki-chan. I love you."

"I love you, too, Nick-kun. Sweet dreams."

And with that, they both fell asleep, awaiting whatever tomorrow brought.

_~ The End ~_


End file.
